Much of my life direction has been determined by the blowing of the wind-like a plastic bag. I have made life- altering decisions simply based on what was happening in my life at the time. Not based on what I envisioned for my future or what ultimately would make the most sense. For example, my career choice of being a teacher was originally based on the fact that I came home after living in England and Ireland for over a year, and I wanted desperately to stay in Europe so I entered a post graduate program at Cal State Fullerton to study TESOL. This would allow me to teach English to speakers of other languages (thus TESOL) all over the world. I invested a year into the certificate program rather than the Master's program (so I could finish one semester sooner) in order to find a job overseas. Then I met a boy (fateful error) and then my career goal was to get a teacher's credential. So I stayed here in California.
Okay. Now I have to say that I don't regret what ultimately happened with my career-I have been a high school teacher now for about twelve or thirteen years. It has given me a great deal of independence and self-confidence. I am not a "natural" teacher, but I have grown into being a good teacher. I only say that because I have heard from former students that tell me that I inspired or motivated them. So without that, I would probably feel like a big loser. Also, my training in TESOL has helped me a great deal with many of my students who come from families where English is not spoken at home.
My point is that I sometimes wish that I had set some goals for myself rather than altering my direction on a whim. I mean really examining what I want from life and then determining what would be the best course of action. So my plan for this blog is to set some goals for myself-daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and lifetime goals. Writing this blog will hopefully keep me a bit more accountable than writing a list on a real estate notepad.
It is good to be like a plastic bag sometimes instead of being a slave to a list. But I have had almost a lifetime being the plastic bag. I am going to experiment with a list now. Just for a year. I am too much of a free-spirited hippie in my soul to be able to do this for too long.
Good Night. Peace, man.
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I can sort of relate. I think I went into teaching because I couldn't think of anything else to do at the time. It probably isn't easy when you are young to figure out exactly what you want and lay out the perfect strategy to get there. Planning isn't bad, but sometimes you just have to make big decisions and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteI think this blog is great on many levels as it will benefit you as well as the readers. Many of us feel like the plastic bag in the wind. (Remember the days when it was referred to being a kite!) Sometimes I feel like the Black Beauty horse, always adapting to my circumstances instead of the other way around. I have many goals attempted yet not all completed. When I used to do quilting when my kids were little (as a means of getting out of the house at night and being with other creative souls!) I learned from a prolific quilter Peggy Timmons that she didn't always complete every quilt. Sometimes she just needed to be a 'topper' and do the creative part and leave the rest for someone else. I'm looking forward to your journey and ours as the reads. Thanks for sharing and caring.
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