As a more “social user” of Social Media, I’ve had the chance to interact with some Generation-Y peers who’ve been willing to share their insights and lives with me at the most candid of depths. It is a very humbling experience to have people confide and entrust in you their personal feelings for you to share. I’ve had the opportunity to become to become acquainted with Twitter user, Brandy Weber (@Brandy3216) over the past few months. One day she sat down and, on her BlackBerry,  she wrote into Quarterlife Magazine detailing how she came to be where she was in her quarterlife.

Brandy’s Entry to Quarterlife Magazine:

It’s naptime so I have time to write you!

I am a preschool teacher at a private preschool on Johns Island, S.C.! I’ve taught here since the end of May, teaching 2-year-olds and I love it! But, it wasn’t always as nice as nap time –my story is as follows:

I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, since I was about 5 years old. I wasn’t really “amazing” in school, just an average 3.0 kind of gal – I was much better at socializing, Haha! Every year at the end of the school year, my mom had a scrapbook she put my school picture in and asked some questions such as, “Who were my friends,” “What I wanted to be when I grow up”…etc. and every year I answered “A Teacher!”

I always wanted to teach Child Development 4-year-olds or Kindergarten, so when I graduated high school in Burgettstown, Penn. I went to Mercyhurst College in Erie, Penn. for “Early Childhood and Elementary Education” which technically means I’m double specialized to teach from Birth to 6^th Grade!

I had always said I was going to move south to the beach after I graduated college. My best friend’s sister lives here in Charleston so I came to visit for two weeks and decided this was the place for me!

I worked at the Charleston Crab House as a server while I looked for teaching jobs here. I had an interview for and ended up landing the “ideal” 1st Grade Job. I was a little nervous about teaching – but excited to start my journey!

However, it was a tough year for many reasons. I had 14 students, all who had a rough family life – but I was determined to make a difference! As the year went on, I found most of the parents there didn’t even care about their children…or their education; it was so heart breaking for me! The most memorable example of this lack of interest was shown in the simplest of tasks, picking up your your child’s report cards; they only had to meet with the teacher to receive. I told multiple families I would come in any day or time…and to show how little they cared, I STILL have some of their first report cards to this day.

As I said it was a tough year for me and not a good placement.

Several of the teachers there were very unwilling to help me with my first year of my teaching journey and often found myself lost and asking for help which I wasn’t receiving!

At one point I had EIGHT kids suspended and by the end of the year most people commended me for not quitting – but I refuse to quit on a class (most of the other teachers said with my class they would have quit by Christmas.).

So at this point I didn’t know if I ever wanted to teach again.

My roommate at the time worked at the children’s center and told me to apply for teaching 2-year-olds sounded like it would be like babysitting, not teaching but I learned I was very wrong.

The job I got there was “Lead Teacher,” and I began to love teaching all over again! My students, families, and coworkers were excellent!

Teaching 2-year-olds is so special and people always say,

“They are only two what can you possibly teach them…”

Well, lets just put it this way – because of me you learn to go potty, eat with a fork, use your manners, letters, colors, shapes!

A lot of exciting things as well as life skills you use forever when you’re “only two!”

My job requires a lot of patience, hard work, planning, dedication, and passion for children!

Well, thank you for listening – I am glad to share, because I know I am always interested in learning about people’s journeys  – because I constantly wonder if I’m on the right path! If you know me in real life I have such a well-rounded, sociable, networking, bubbly, happy personality and I wonder if I should be using my gift in some other career or if I am in the right place because I love my job! In the end, I just want to be motivated and love to go to work each and everyday and do what I do best!

– Brandy Weber

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All can I say to Brandy is, with a personality and passion you have – do not give up on the two-year-olds! If not, when we are well past our quarterlife, there will be a lot of angry, undereducated and under-loved adults – who don’t know how to use the potty…

For as long as I can remember, I have been conscious of a “fear-influenced duality” of the mind between the desire and fear of success. This fear is partially responsible for the sense of paralysis some experience when attempting to move forward with their goals.

It causes one to think so much about the next step that, in my own personal experiences, you may develop mild headaches and desire nothing more than to lie down in hopes that the fear will move on.

The fear can seem so intense, so acute in instances, we seemingly devolve from the determined, confident people we know we are, into apprehensive and insecure versions of ourselves that we have worked hard not to be.

Keep in mind, however, this is more than a fear of failure – it is a fear of success.

What happens if I do get the job? Am I going to be partly, even on the smallest of scales, responsible for the success of an entire brand? If I do well, will I have to take on more responsibility? Will I be able to continue producing good work?

No one wants to be a one-hit wonder in their own life, do they?

For most, happiness is directly linked to success – it is a causal loop that has been set to iterate ad infinitum.

I have to succeed and yet, I’m scared. If perfection and success cannot be guaranteed from every attempt, why try?

I am sure we have all struggled with this; finding a purpose for life which we know is there, yet invisible to us. We undoubtedly know there is error in avoiding success to avoid the fear, but arguably yields less expectation in doing so.

Less expectation equals less pressure to do well. As the pressure decreases, so do the tension and headaches, thus resulting in happiness, right?

Wrong.

It leads to mediocrity – and happiness does not mediocrity make. So where do you look for a solution that will steer you in the right direction?

Some people say their “haters” – their opposition – is an inspiration for success. The negativity of those people whose life goal is to bring you down is transformed into feeding that hunger. Others, meanwhile, are motivated by the reward of success.

I would like to meet this latter group of individuals and ask them, “Why aren’t you afraid that once you do well, you’ll have to keep doing well?”

How do they find the happiness in becoming genuine success stories while removing the fear from the potential of success?

In my opinion, the answer is simply found in imitation.

Each generation in their quarterlife, including us Generation-Yers, needs an example; an illustration of what has worked in the past. Like those before us, we must continue to carry yesterday’s messages and inspirations as a means to shed light on the issues of tomorrow.

This should be our cure – our solution to overcoming our fear of success.

Take for example, Michael Jackson. He was not only an international superstar, but the inspiration and model for many Generation-Y entertainers who have replicated his style. And yet, Jackson was inspired by and imitated the work of entertainers before him.

Had he said to himself, “Jackie Wilson is the best. Why should I try to contribute anything to the music industry – the pressure to succeed would be too great,” Generation Y would not have had this unique muse; a motivator to follow our dreams.

Perhaps it is necessary to think of success not as a hinderance, but as the embodiment and continuation of the movers and shakers of years past; our own success as a foundation for future generations.

Like the Michael Jackson we hoped he would be – don’t be paralyzed and left to wonder what you could have been, listen to your music and dance.