Moving Forward

“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” – Steve Maraboli

It is seems so easy to keep things the way they are, to expend effort to keep things the same, and to maintain status quo at all costs. However, if you are not following your passion and purpose, then your spirit erodes and eventually dies. When the spirit dies, we are only kept alive by the doing of things and not the living of things. So, why not jump?

For last couple of weeks, I’ve been burdened by the heaviness of the status quo. I’ve been here before. It took many years spirit killing and a severe illness to jump back then. I was desperate to keep the status quo. It’s tough to move forward when you’re stuck. As a result, it took several years to regain my self-worth, my passion for education, and my drive to excel. This time I want to get ahead of the game and be proactive.

For the last 5 years, my pedagogical journey has been absolutely incredible. I am self-employed as an independent educational consultant. I am a school trustee, curriculum developer, doctoral student, and research assistant. This is just to name a few things that I have accomplished since leaving the practice. Do I ever miss teaching? Always. Am I learning? Always. I love what I have learned. I love the people I have met. I love the work that I do. So, what’s next? Certainly, I have a short term goal of completing my dissertation and research project. Then what? What I am certain of, I am not meant to tutor mathematics in my home for the rest of my life.

Everything that I currently do supports student learning in some way. I am passionate about making the learning experiences of others “better.” Maybe my passion and purpose are shifting? Maybe my focus is moving towards professional learning with the same intention in mind? Hmm… Lately, I’ve been asked (in many different ways)… What is your purpose? What is your passion? What is your plan? What is your goal? What do you do? What do you plan to do? What are you working towards?

What troubled me most about these questions were… I noticed (over and over again) and I had no clear and concise answer. There is no question that moving forward, taking chances, or making change can be a muddy process. In essence, I am building the plane in the air with great hopes of landing in a plane. I love everything that I do. No regrets. Yes, it may seem like I am doing 11 jobs, but love every one of them.

A rude realization, but also an indicator that it is time for the next chapter… I’ve just realized that the vision that I held onto for many years has already happened. With a couple of contacts ending, the school year ending, and hopefully my dissertation ending… this is an excellent time to reassess my purpose and passion, make new decisions, and create a new vision. Although there are many great things happening within the status quo, things can only get better by taking the next step.