As I sit here on the fourth day removed from an employer in which I was unhappy due to the fact that I did not feel challenged to grow, I feel a sense of being reinvigorated as I exhale! I want to be clear this is not an article to bash or ridicule my former employer as I have nothing negative to say. In fact, the owner is a great family man that I hold in the highest regard. In his words, he couldn't give me an opportunity that the company doesn't have. Yet, I no longer have to hold my breath. The salary is gone but I feel liberated to take back the controls of my career and soar. The salary will return 10 fold if I do what I am passionate about which is helping people to become their best selves. It really isn't about the money, doing what I was placed here to do is priceless.
So, no time to sit idle and watch the clock tick for the preciouos gift of life continues on and requires focus and the redirection of energies to be creative and to have an impact on and for others who may be facing the same or a similar dilemmas or possibly crossroads in life. Now, I want to be as lucid as I possibly can, I am not advocating that you go out and quit your job. Well, not presently that is unless you have an exit strategy that allows you to continue to pay your bills and be a responsible parent, spouse, and citizen. I mean you know as well as I do that the bills keep on coming. Yet, we are at a time in the United States where the job demand is at an unprecedented high due to baby boomers retiring. Additionally, the job market has evolved to highly skilled areas including Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics S.T.E.M. skills.
The challenge is to remain relevant? Answer: By continuing to seek growth through multiple sources including education, reflection, research, seminars and sharing anecdotally. A couple of more ways to include training certifications, and apprenticeship programs. Keep in mind that we all learn differently and that reading is not necessarily fundamental for people with a learning challenge. A better learning alternative may be audio/visual for these individuals. So, it is essential to know how you best learn be it audio, visual, or kinesthetically (hands-on). One way to understand your strengths when it comes to learning is to take a learning assessment.
Once you know how you best learn, it is suggested that you blend your preferred learning style with additional learning styles that serve to enhance learning which will enable you to reinforce learning and reduce the monotony of repetition. It certainly rings true that it does help to shake things up. Yet, at some point, you still have to grind your way through as that is part of growth and taking back the controls of your life so that you become proficient and are able to soar That being said, the grind will be well worth the effort based on the fact that you are doing what you are passionate about. Dreams take time, effort, goal setting, planning and execution.
A great example is the story of Nehemiah in his passion to rebuild city of his ancestors "Jerusalem." Nehemiah was serving as the Cup bearer to King Artaxerxes. It was the 20th year and Nehemiah was sad before the king and he had not been sad before as it was forbidden to do so yet Nehemiah was sad and the king questioned him why are you sad for you are not ill and therefore this can be nothing other than sadness of heart. Nehemiah, though he was afraid said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" Nehemiah was a person of faith and the king never questioned what specific city Nehemiah was referencing perhaps he knew the city was Jerusalem or perhaps he had no inclination. The fact of the matter is Nehemiah after 20 years was still determined to rebuild the wall to the city of his ancestors and he was successful in doing so because of his obedience, his determination, his passion, and his taking back control of his life. I encourage you to read it Nehemiah in its entirety or for starters Chapters 1 and 2.
Be blessed,
Carl Chambers, MSHRD, SPHR