Accomplishments

What am I most proud of?

At age 34, I went back to university (started again, really) and ended up graduating with top marks in my class. The first few courses were hard - I had to remember how to learn the material so that I could reproduce it on a test, which is SO different from the working world. But once I figured out that I could do well and got a taste for high marks,  I was hooked. I wanted to know EVERYTHING (not possible haha). Also, I knew that I needed excellent grades to get into a master's program.

I had focus and motivation.

And I wasn't distracted by all that usual university stuff: making friends and going out. :)

I did have a small group of study buddies, and we would share notes, work together on projects, motivate each other, etc.

The hard work paid off: graduated top of the class, received an academic award, accepted into my first choice of master's programs.

Did I have a positive impact on anyone? I think my family was proud of me. I got the sense that they were surprised/didn't expect me to do it (actually my mom said it straight out) - guess they didn't think very highly of my intelligence! Haters gonna hate, lol. I tried to teach my younger classmates that it's never too late to pursue your dreams; if you're not happy with what you're doing, make a career change. It might not be easy, but hopefully it will lead to you doing something more fulfilling.

What can I learn from this success to help me be successful in the future?

Tough question. The end goal/motivation helped (getting into PT school). Having small successes proved to me that I could achieve really great marks. I did enjoy a bit a competition to do better than someone else, but that wasn't a key motivation factor.

What can I take forward from that experience to help me be more motivated now?