Year's ago I worked with people with varied disabilities. I took a beginners sign language class and I also learned basics in Braille.

These are classes, not different than any other class you have taken in the past.

It will take a long for you to become fluid in sign language. To not just do it but be able to interpret what someone is saying to you, quickly.

I think you will enjoy it.

Please explain why it is out of your comfort zone? For me, that would be bungee jumping!

Sign up for the class. I often find that there are things I won't do for myself ... like exercise... unless I have a class or an appointment. When I do, then I don't question it but just go.

This is truly a no loss situation...if you try it and don't like it, so what. No harm, no foul. If you try it and like it, then you have a new skill which can be useful.

Just do it!

Why is it outside of my comfort zone? I work with MDs and PhDs, not patients. I sit in my office all day long doing my work, at my leisure. I don't actually know sign language. I realized sign language is a language, and it takes years to learn, just as it would German or Japanese because I don't speak those languages.

Well now I have more questions than answers. I plan on retiring in a decade, will I get enough time under my belt learning it to be able to be useful. Hmm.

It sounds like you have the motivation, and that's all you need. It's not like jumping out of a plane ;) You can do this.

My brother hired someone for his staff with a hearing disability several years ago and learned some sign language through some introductory classes. Encouraged by his mother in law. She stood at the front of her church during services for many, many years and signed the pastor's sermon, just for reason of wanting to be helpful.

I guess that's my point of "failure" worry. If I do this, it's just for personal progress, and hopefully to help in another way at work. I already help loads of people, that's what I do! If it's free, and I can do it why not. If I could just bring myself to do the next step.

But really I'm asking overall. There are loads of things I could do if I just took the next step.

That's how I learned how to do plumbing, carpentry, drywall, working on cars... That's what got me to learn how to not be afraid to fail. There's so much I learned to do, just by trying.

Right now I'm stuck. It's not the first time, and it won't be the last.

Maybe I am hesitant, because of the time it will take to get there. But then, it's just like graduating from University. I spent years fretting over it, when I could have been using the years to get classes under my belt. Sure, I did it but it took a lot longer than it really needed to. Once I got going, I was that much farther along than others who were still fretting about it. See? This time next year I could say look I've made it through a year!

😉

One suggestion is to make yourself accountable to some degree. When I decided to study for my first ham radio license (a highly technical exam about which I knew nothing), I immediately paid for an online course. It wasn't expensive (something like $35, I think), but I would have felt foolish wasting any amount of money. Since your fees would be covered by your employer, telling friends that you're going to do this would give you some accountability.

Consider the risk-reward ratio. What are you risking if you do this? What will be your reward if you do this? If it turns out to be something that's not for you, what have you lost?

When you asked the question, my immediate reaction was Push yourself. Remember the old Nike commercials? Just do it.

Do the next right thing. Sign up for the class. No commitment to the future, just something for the fun of it. Once you are feeling more confident about your sign, guessing you will find the next step pretty easy. Baby steps. It's the leaps that can leave you flat on you a$$.

Be brave. Really, that's the ultimate answer to working in spite of your fears.

I have just become far too these days.

Truly. I used to say "what's stopping me?" and whatever it was was usually stupid, and I just kept on going because I pushed the stupid thing out of the way.

This seems to me to be a brilliant idea. Learning and “speaking” a new language uses a new part of the brain; also it will be good for self esteem, and help others in new ways. Nothing but positive outcomes, as I see it. Who knows where it might lead?

When I was contemplating beginning college at age 37, I couldn't decide whether to do it or not. I didn't need it for my job. It was for my own personal satisfaction. I was talking to my boss about it. The program I wanted to get into was a "weekend college". All classes were held on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays. My boss told me "well, this time will pass whether you do it or not, so why not give it a try". And he was exactly right. It took me 6 years and was the most fun and so satisfying and confidence building thing I have ever done.

So I agree with Alisande, just do it. The time will pass whether you do it or not. You either will like it or not. You either will be good at it or not. There is no down side to this. Look at it as "just a class" and see how passionate you become about it.

Oh and since it is a language, make sure you are able to practice what you are learning. That will help tremendously.

My step-father always said, If you are not moving forward, you are falling behind. If there is a place inside you which craves this kind of growth and challenge, then you owe it to yourself to do what it takes to meet it. The pain of growth beats the despair of regret.

To answer your question, when I need to do something that will be hard for me I remind myself I have nothing to lose by trying. I make myself do the hard thing in small increments and give myself a reasonable timeline for seeing progress.

I am about to start training for a 10k and I am in horrible shape right now, which really makes me balk at starting, but oh well. It's pay now or pay later, now has better terms.

For intellectual challenges, I remind myself how much I loathe myself if I don't put some effort forth and grow.

Murraysmom's post reminded me (how could I forget?) that I started college at 43. When I was thinking about doing it, I said to a friend in discouragement, "By the time I qualify as a psychotherapist, I'll be 50 years old!" Her response was similar to Murraysmom's. She said, "Well, you're going to be 50 years old anyway, so you might as well be a 50-year-old therapist." Good point.

I should add that my high school career was wretched. At one point I failed everything, even gym. The reasons for this are complicated, but at age 43 part of me couldn't imagine not failing again if I got back in the classroom. So it wasn't an easy decision. When I showed up at the university to apply, it took a real force of will to push myself through the doors. I ended up absolutely loving it.

This is probably why I said Push yourself.

Remember, it's not that courageous people aren't afraid...it's just that they go ahead despite their fears.

When I was going for my MBA, one of the things taught was that, to get an organization to move forward, it was better to remove or address the negatives...the positives would take care of themselves. So think about all the negatives that are holding you back and deal with them.

One of my co-workers asked you to do a painting similar to what Bob Ross had done. My first reaction was I have never painted with oils, and I have never done a landscape before. But I watched his videos and I realized this was something I could possibly do. I kept practicing and the photo I posted is one of the paintings that I have done. What you need to do is take it and baby steps and before you know it you will really enjoy whatever it is you're trying to learn.

Samkaren your resident dj.

Sorry photo won't attach :(

samkarenorkaren - I hope you keep trying! sometimes it takes a minute or more, at random....

samkarenorkaren,

if you're on the app, change to "desktop" and that sometimes works.

elmer, I can't answer your message. But no worries! I heard you.

Well, a big negative has come up. We on the research side apparently don't know how it works. The Institution uses a service. We don't keep anyone on site. I'll keep digging, but now it looks like it'd just be for me. Which defeats my purpose.

Why does it defeat your purpose? Learning something new might be fun - just for you. It sounds like the experiences that people shared on this thread they did for themselves and not for an acknowledgement or reward. (I'm sorry if I'm wrong)

I want to help out here in a different way. Expand what I do, while still being meaningful. My time is limited and I'm down to the last 5-10 years. And I mean meaningful to me. I'd like to connect to patients. I don't do that in any way. I've met senators, Scott Hamilton, Naomi Judd... people who are changing healthcare throughout the nation (the head of the NIH, the national biobank program All of Us), movers and shakers throughout the world including the head of Google/Verily... I like them, but that's not what I want. I want to help the people. The people of Nashville and surrounding cities, counties, and even states. I just got stopped in the hallway by someone and I couldn't help them because I don't work in the hospital and it frustrated me that I had to get them to an information desk. Almost a score of years and I have no idea of the specific hospital works. Just research.

Well that seems like something a class in ASL wouldn't actually address.

I'm very confused; what are you saying Carol. What wouldn't be addressed? I wanted to be an interpreter for the hospital. To help patients. I'll have to find another way since it's not hospital employees who do that!

;)

rob333 - thanks for the expanded explanation - that makes sense.

I saw that same episode and thought, wow, thats a lot to remember. It won't hurt to give it a try. I have tried software programs to learn Spanish and do very well on the exercises while on computer but as soon as I get off computer, I can't remember diddly squat.

We just streamed a Tony Robbins two hour video of his class. It's motivational...to accomplish...to over come ...what's holding you back. We really enjoyed it!

I'd say...go online....I did...years ago...they have short videos of ASL...training. See if you can follow it...remember it. Mimic it. Build your confidence. For underwater...a lot of divers take ASL. You can never learn too much....or take too many classes! Just saying thank you to a deaf cashier....was a nice gesture...and she told me to have a nice day EXCITEDLY! Made me happy too. 🤟 Link to Tony Robbins

rob, take the class and then show the hospital that you have the skill and maybe they will create a position for you. It sounds like a great skill to offer in a hospital and I'm guessing they will see the need and you will be able to fill it immediately. And as Nicole said, it's a skill you can apply in other areas of life. It reminds me of my friend who went to a very large bank and spoke with them about having a Director of Supplier Divirsity meaning a person who made sure that all racial and cultural companies were considered when procuring services for the bank. They had never thought about it before he met with them and brought them his ideas. That was quite a few years ago and wasn't something anyone else was doing. I think it's pretty common now. But someone had to bring up the idea. Why not you?

Oh, I'd never leave my current position. It's top dollar. Not too many above me on my level. I wanted to fill in when they were in a crunch type of deal. I have been trying to contact their office, but during COVID, it's not working. I'm going to get a final say on whether they think that might be a useful thing. I'm not done yet!

I am pretty sure there are special medical translation courses to take on top of being fluent in a language in order to be a medical translator.

I work in the medical field and proofread medical textbooks. I'm pretty sure I have that part covered, but thanks!

Rob, it's a matter of a certification process.

We'll see if I get a chance to find out. I'm ready!

Ugh...still can't post photo. I'll keep trying

Sorry that wasn't clear - I was referring to your lamenting your lack of knowledge about the hospital works.

The class will be fun, but you will need to keep up using the sign language once you finish. It is like any foreign language in that you won't stay fluent unless you use it regularly.

Okay, what I'm saying is I want to know more about the patient part, apparently I know nothing. That's the direction I want to go. Through ASL or another way if I want or need