Detours, delays in decisions occur, WIN-R speaker says
by Stephanie Hagee, Reporter

   Fear is the factor that keeps many people from obtaining the success they desire, a speaker said last week on South Campus.
   Tina Jenkins, a regular speaker for the Women in New Roles program, presented Igniting Success, Extinguishing Fear, a free seminar.
   Jenkins said she left her high-paying job for a more rewarding career and never looked back.
   "Fear can keep you trapped-believe it or not-in a job you don't really like," she said.
   Success is different for each individual person, and Jenkins said she wants others to learn how to conquer their fears in order to obtain the success they crave.
   Fears in each person's life often relate to such things as dogs, flying, death, illness and heights. However, the fear of failure is what a lot of people experience when they want to make a career change, Jenkins said.
   According to Jenkins, fear is an acronym for "False Evidence Appearing Real." By changing the way one perceives fear, one can change the negative fear into a positive fear.
   "Something that can catapult you into your destiny," she said.
   Jenkins presented steps to defeat fears by replacing negative thoughts and speech with positives and moving toward a simple plan to become successful individuals.
   "If you don't have a plan, you plan to fail," she said.
   Jenkins offered participants tips for success, telling the audience to simplify their lives, but to find quiet time for themselves or with girlfriends.
   "Learn how to say 'no' to those things you don't have room for," she said.
   Thinking and acting positively also works toward success, Jenkins said.
   Jenkins told participants to eliminate negative energy drainers, speak positively about others and themselves and turn negative occurrences into positive life lessons.
   "Walk in the spirit of excellence," she said.
   A person becomes what they say they are, and if they only speak negatively about themselves, success is hard to obtain, Jenkins said.
   "There's a lot of power in your spoken word," she told approximately 30 participants.
   Jenkins said she stays positive by keeping the practice an "everyday process." She said she analyzes each thought and word to make sure it is positive in nature.
   "We have to learn to do that [think positively] because the negative self-talk is one of the easiest ways to get into a depression É" she said.
   People, according to Jenkins, tend to label themselves in negative ways and even go as far as to introduce themselves by stating their illness.
   "'Hi, I have arthritis' or 'I have A.D.D.' Instead, be positive by saying, 'Hi, my name is [your name].' You are what you say you are," she said.
   Jenkins advised the group to replace the words I can't with I will try. By changing this pattern of thinking, fears will begin to diminish and confidence will increase, Jenkins said.
   "Most really successful people are not ultra smart, but what they are is ultra persistent," she said.
    "To obtain your goals, you must never give up. Understand you will have delays or detours," she said.
   Jenkins closed with a poem by Anne Wilson Schaef, "Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much," which begins "What I am looking for is not out there. It is me."
   Jenkins taught a WIN-R class in the spring semester. The WIN-R is designed to assist women returning to school.
   To find out more about this program and future seminars, visit the WIN-R Web site at www. tccd.edu/win-r.