Fear Is A Limitation!

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." - Dale Carnegie

This week, I had valley lows and mountain highs.

The Low

Earlier in the week, on my journey to Software Engineering, imposter Syndrome kicked in.

I second-guessed myself. The pressure became so much that I asked if this was actually what I wanted for myself.?

Yes, I am sure I made the right decision switching to tech;?

Yes, I know for sure I want software engineering.

What I doubted was this path to my desired destination.?

Being an advocate of excellency, I always want to give the best I can to any endeavour I commit to; so I questioned if I was on the right path to being the best I can be in the technical field with the current pace and time constraints I'm learning with.?

ALX has a great curriculum it's the pace I'm not so sure of, especially for a technical newbie like me.?

I realised I need more time to learn, assimilate and internalize concepts and the process; I'm not sure I'm getting it right now. The overwhelm, the pressure…

The pressure to complete tasks and projects was beginning to make me lose focus on my main goal which is to become an excellent developer. Until I eventually discovered a strategy that works for me. What I now do is to not open my task of the day until the checker is made available by which time I'll have read enough of the concepts and materials to have the basic knowledge to tackle the task. I then study the concepts wider and deeper after completing the tasks.

?

The impostor syndrome that hit me this week:was the lowest I've been since starting the program.

But the high moment came and with it came renewed determination to grind.?

The High

My high moment was when I wrote my first C program and it wasn't just the basic 'hello world'.

You see, there's been so much clamour about C language being a tough program, in essence, this had put the fear of the C program in a lot of us. I got so scared of the program that I started confessing and affirming victory over it. Those who know me well know I use affirmations mostly when I'm in a dreadful situation. Usually, I'll have started studying the program ahead of when it will be introduced to us in the program to keep abreast of it, but with the many concepts we have to study about daily, I didn't have the time to.?

When I checked the program calendar for this week and saw that we were to be introduced to the program this week, I decided to study about it a day before it was introduced.?

A friend and study buddy referred me to a C program beginner-friendly site where I started my study from.

After about an hour of study and practice alongside, I didn't see any reason to dread the program. I had to call my friend, who had more knowledge of the program to ask if he was sure that the site was truly all I needed as a beginner to understand the program. I got so excited I studied and practised C the whole afternoon. The high moment was actually when I wrote and ran my first C program without errors and it wasn't just the basic 'hello world'.

This may not seem like much to the gurus, but to me, it was a great achievement. It was the unveiling of the C language for me.?

With this milestone, I have decided to become a master of C. I know there may be greater hurdles ahead in the language, the fact that I wrote a not-so-basic script in the language and it ran successfully within the first 30mins of my studying, gives me confidence that there is no mountain in C that I won't be able to bring low.

I wish you know how excited I am about this. To think that I had dreaded this program for so long! Chia!?

The Lesson

This reminded me of a lesson: dont take on other people's fears; what one person considers a stumbling block may just be a stepping stone to another. Don't let the fear of something stop you. If anything, do it despite the fear and in most cases, you'll be surprised you'll conquer.

This is another week gone, another week conquered. Gradually, one day at a time, I'm moving toward achieving my goal of being a seasoned Software Engineer.?

Thank you for coming with me on this journey.

Till I write to you again next week, don't let anything stop you. If what you desire is not against God and good for man, go after it even in fear, you're most likely to win!