“Our doubts are traitors
And make us lose the good we oft might win
By fearing to attempt.”

-William Shakespeare

There are over 2800 students attending this university and I think it's safe to say that each one of us leads a unique life. Our individual paths represent our different purposes and I don't think there is anything more tragic than to have gone through life without the fulfillment of that purpose. Do I know what my purpose is in life? Am I simply going through the motions each day and not working towards my purpose? And do I really have to fulfill my purpose? The last question is probably the only one I can answer confidently, yes, I do, and you do too.

Identifying your purpose isn't any easy task and no one is going to point out and say ‘there it is.' But there is one thing I think can help, and that's where the above quote comes into play. For the longest time, my doubts were my biggest traitors; I wouldn't venture into any an unknown place because I was afraid I would be less than perfect in that task. Worse still, people may be watching me make a fool out of myself and being less than perfect!! A mortifying thought…Then I learned to ask myself the big question. So??? So what if people are watching? So what if I fail? You do what you do and you do your best.

It's good to know that at AUD you have the opportunity to take on activities, posts, and positions you may not have previously considered in your life. You do all this in an almost risk-free environment; you are simply encouraged to get involved without having to consider “real-world” consequences. With this we begin to reap the habit of trying out new possibilities and lose those doubts that hold us back. Escaping our comfort zone is never an easy thing to do, but it sure is worth it. To help unearth our purpose, we need to keep going after things that are more challenging, more unusual, and definitely less normal.

Nancy Fahim
Business Administration - Finance
Class of Spring 2008