Isn’t learning fun? I absolutely love it. For the past 15 years, I have been. And I've been a coach for the last five. The people that I usually work with and I really love working with these folks because, like them, and I've been to school three times. But I still remember I almost quit, the first semester. By midterm, I was collapsed in my prof's office, in the corner, in the midst of an existential crisis. Things were going horribly. The seminars that I so diligently. Every time we were asked for our responses, everyone else's responses. Mine, by comparison, seemed so basic. And then, I got my first paper back ... and I'd bombed it. Yep. So there I was, in tears, convinced that I was the dumbest. And honestly, I got to tell you. But I had actually staked a lot. I had actually quit my best job to date to pursue my dream. So I wanted my prof’s advice. She handed me some tissues, and instead of agreeing she told me to stick it out. And she said that apparently. Now, I was pretty skeptical, because all the evidence. But figuring she knew I held on. By the end of term, she was right. My grades began to improve, and I learned that my fellow students. Needless to say, this experience. And it has informed how I teach and coach. I've been where my prof was and said the same things. I've also learned a lot since then about the relationship. Nowadays, the mid-career for help with their academic success come to me because they think. And sure, they could use. But for many, that's that's getting in the way. The real issue lies in how they think and what they believe to be true. Now, this might seem like a bold claim. Why aren't skills the real issue? Most of us are very capable learners. The people I work with and experts in their field. They wouldn't be where they are if they didn't know. When I went back, I had been writing in a professional context. My challenge was up-leveling my analytical. Once I was oriented to that gap, My grades began to improve. I see the same thing. Bridging the skill gap. It's the confidence gap. But it needs addressing, because that is what is getting in the way in learning situations. So what's going on? What is happening? Why is it so hard? Based on my experience, adults in learning situations. The first one is that we struggle. For many of us who go back, It's not only been years, maybe decades. We've spent a hot minute or two. All of a sudden, we find ourselves and figure out study habits, and this whole academic writing thing. And then, we have to read critically. It's a lot. And then add to this, we often bring with us that we've been carrying about who we are as learners. In the past, if we thought we've already got bags of doubts and we judge ourselves harshly. Now if you’re thinking, no, no. We struggle because we can and then judge ourselves. And it's difficult. The second challenge that we face is that we spend a lot of time. Now, this is a really human thing to do, and it's a very easy pit to fall into. Because, let's face it, we want to know that we can at least keep up with. But when we compare ourselves it can be paralyzing, because we can fall into thinking. This is especially true when people. We can go from feeling accomplished to feeling behind and confused, in a matter of minutes. And the third challenge that we face is that we have a strong fear of failing. Now, for most of the folks who go back. We're juggling a job and family. Plus, we want to do well, because we're usually there or hit a career goal in some way, to say nothing of the time. So being afraid of failing, well. But it is an obstacle to getting. So those are the challenges. There is good news, though. These can be overcome when we are in learning situations. The first shift is that we really need that our brain is telling us.