1. What made this experience significant for you?  
2. What did you do to cause the change to have a positive outcome?  
3. How did you know it was the appropriate time to make the change?  
4. How would you suggest someone prepare to make such an experience more expeditious or effortless (to simplify their process)?   
5. Has this impacted your beliefs about future changes and if so how?  
6. What did you use as a support for your transition process?

  RE-EDUCATION (midlife)

1. Hadn't been to school in 20 years. Had been an average high school student.   Felt as an adult really had focus, a definite direction and purpose.  

2. Biggest part that makes it successful or unsuccessful is the commitment to follow through with it. People who waffle and sit on the fence, never go through with it. I started my fitness work, getting a lot of clients, but then I found the Gyrotonics and it included the psychology of movement, how the body holds emotions and other avenues and I retrained for that.  Because I made the commitment to make a change initially, it broadened the base to allow for other changes to come in.  

3. I aged. If I'd been 25 there wouldn't have been a rush for income. At a certain point I felt my body was getting tired and that if I persisted in that it would lead to more injuries.

4. From high school into college, most often don't even know what your going to college for. The courses are not supporting an ultimate goal. It's not until you have to take several jobs you don't want, you see you don't want to do a certain thing for the rest of your life. Then you really look and see how you do want to spend your days. You don't have the life experience to teach you who you are. Get some experience and more confidence to then go back to your initial commitment for school and gain more of the tools.

5. Parents initially told me I should finish school. I said no I'll be working. The truth was I didn't always get work and finishing my education sooner could have aided that process.

6. Parents and the people close to me. I talk through things a lot. I think that's helpful because sometimes our version of reality isn't necessarily real.  

-Barbara Schwarz, Exercise Fitness Expert, White Cloud Studios

"I go on observation and analysis on what's happening, take it in, absorb it and then take the next step, not necessarily the culminating step.   I'll take a certain step and see what happens and examine what are the conditions at that time.   It's not because I don't have a vision, but I'm looking at a change, formulating it in my mind, as a process.  

- Bruce Ballmer

1. Was a City Planner for seven years, married with 3 young boys. Both working parents. Decided to go back to school to become an attorney. Thought I could broaden myself and my opportunities, the impact I could have.  We needed to make more money. Went back to Harvard. Never lived in the East, picked it as a whole other way of living that would be good for the children. Was not trying to make law review, get all A's or make the big New York law firm, wanted to get the knowledge. Was a little older than the typical classmate. My wife went to work and I studied and did my schedule so that I could take care of the three boys a good part of the time. I was like a house-husband. That was a whole new experience from what we'd been going through. Out here, I helped out more and I thought my new education would open up opportunities for me and the family.

2. Positive focus and the things we were trying to change lent themselves to real confidence. My wife and I had been on our own since high school to support ourselves, we were boyfriend and girlfriend in college and helping each other out already. We'd made some hefty decisions to go away to college together, so we were oriented towards taking risks and making changes and having a deep faith that it was going to work.

3. The kids were old enough, we were both working hard and frustrated at our limit levels.   Everything came together at once, all the factors.  

4. I don't necessarily do the preparation or the planning. I go on observation and analysis on what's happening and take it in, absorb it and then take the next step, not necessarily the culminating step. I'll take a certain step and see what happens and examine what are the conditions at that time.  It's not because I don't have a vision, but I'm looking at a change, formulating it in my mind, as a process. While I was practicing city planning and in law school I was formulating my idea of what to do next. Everything in between wasn't a chore to do to get there. I looked at everything in between as something that even if I didn't end up with the same vision at the end that each of the things we did would be a new experience- travel, New England, each of us working, me having more time with the children. It wasn't three years of an investment into an end goal. Look at each decision as a plus even if your direction changes at the end.  

5. Reinforced my belief in having happiness and some success level. Have periodically questioned myself in my way of making changes, so I don't foreclose using another method or going about some objective in another way. I might use the goal approach, for example. It's using what works for me.

6. Support from my family. My mother loaned us money and we had support financially from the school. I talked with others about my choice of school. One former roommate from college recommended Harvard. It was a shift in my thinking to consider it. I didn't analyze the two schools I was considering and weigh prices. I brought in other factors of the newer experience and the school benefits. It was a reminder to make the best of the next thing I was going to do.     

-Bruce Ballmer, Former Attorney

1. I'd postponed finishing school for at least 12 years. Had been a mother of a large family (8 children), had always loved school and always wanted to seek more knowledge. I was going back to see about a possible career direction.

2. Because I was the only older person in most of my classes, was dedicated to learning, worked hard and participated a lot. I was a good example to the other students.

3. Tired of only the domestic responsibilities and needed to have a life outside my home.

4. Education of all kinds enhances your life whether it's to gain a new perspective on your life or make a new career choice. I was a good student and more intelligent than I'd realized. I'd not had much association with adults and found it enhanced my ability to converse and know about world situations.  I think that everyone deserves to have time for themselves and their own growth and seeking that out in anyway you can is always positive.  An at home mom can take classes on the Internet while the children are sleeping or your husband or someone is home to take over the household jobs.  

5. Despite your fears, find a way to take the next steps.

6. I had a spiritual support program that helped me over time to try anything I wanted to.   Enhancing this also pushed me to more learning about life and school.

- Aileen Sheppard, Life Explorer