Blog originally posted on 7/28/2014
Two weeks from today I will begin a new career path at this later stage of my life. Some are questioning my decision, and some questioning my sanity, I can say my decision was made after careful consideration of my options and future goals.
Having recently (over the past 2 years) reentered the marketing arena, a career I loved in my 20's and was fortunate enough to get back into in my late forties, I have decided to change course.
I had an incredible drive for marketing and working with businesses and people who were equally interested in watching their business grow using today's social media, blogging, website, and SEO strategies. I would spend hours reading and trying out new things and to my surprise my efforts were rewarded. This only continued to push me harder to learn more and see continued positive results.
I had several clients I enjoyed working with in my at home part-time business. I later began working full-time at a company I admired and enjoyed the position I had in their marketing department. One day I was asked if I would consider teaching at my daughters school, computers to grades K-12. My initial reaction was no, why would I leave something I enjoyed to pursue an unknown, and work with kids instead of executives.
After some serious thought and prayer, it became evident to me, that on some level my marketing efforts were meaningless. Investing many hours of hard work and emotion in someone else's business was not going to be recognized, or even valued by some, rendering my efforts a waste of time. My full time position was considered important and worth the cost to the upper level executives, but on a day-to-day basis I was having difficulty seeing the importance of some of the tasks. My part-time business was slowing down, I did not have the time to invest in finding new clients, and I was losing old ones. And there it was, like I was smacked in the face with meaninglessness and wasted time. My time, my efforts, my passions were squashed.
I am excited, and a bit apprehensive about taking on this new chapter. While I am by no means a computer whiz, (ask my IT guy), I believe teaching computers to students is more than graphic design and spreadsheets. Teaching students is about instilling in them a love of learning and seeking knowledge to do new things and have new experiences. It's about helping them and through helping, letting them know they are important and worthy. It is also about showing the love of Christ through spending time with the next generation.
Like most people, I want to leave a legacy, not only to my family and friends, but to others whose lives I have been privileged to touch. My hope is that someday, when I'm gone, someone might remember me fondly as having made a difference in their life by having been helpful, loving, and giving of my time and talents.
What might your legacy look like? Have you thought about it?