Q. I'm starting a new school this year and I am incredibly nervous. Everyone
tells me: "Just be yourself," but I'm not sure what that means! Who is “myself,”
anyway?!
A. Every single year, almost every single one of my
children tells me that they’re nervous about school starting. And every single
year, I say, “Of course you are!” And I say the same to you: Of course you’re nervous about starting a new
school! Even if you were attending the same school as last year, I would expect
you to be nervous before starting a new epoch in your life.
Lord knows (I’m serious—God knows—I spoke to Him
about this at great length before each and every transition of mine!) I was
always nervous before any new undertaking: before a new school year, before a
move to a different city, before a new child was born, before I started a new
job, even before a new speaking engagement. It’s natural. King Solomon, the
wisest of all men, said it perfectly: “All beginnings are difficult.”
You might end up loving your new school. Whether you
love it or not is beside the point, though. Even if you end up absolutely
adoring your new school, you are going to be
nervous before you start. It’s a given, it’s natural, it’s to be expected. So
stop freaking out about freaking out and give yourself a break!
