I just submitted a "paper" as an application to be part of conference about multicultural education...
...my paper was shy (very shy) of the "approximate length requirement", my paper was not a "research" paper (I don't have enough experience in academia nor enough time between school and work to submit such a paper), and my curriculum vitae is woefully sparse (read: no publications or awards to date)...
...but I submitted it anyway!
I almost chickened out. I abandoned my attempt at a paper for several weeks and, right up against the deadline, I had decided that my paper was not good enough to be submitted.
But then I thought: why am I deciding that my paper isn't good enough? Why am I deciding that I don't have enough accolades on my CV to be considered for their conference? That's their job to decide, not mine.
My only job was to write something on a related topic to the best of my ability, submit it by the deadline, and include a curriculum vitae.
That, I did. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Tonight, I took a shot. I've taken many, many shots in the past; I managed to make one or two. I'll take many more henceforth. I won't walk away from opportunities--not even the long shots.
Here we go, 2018.
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