I came across a picture on time hop today of a lil’giftie I handed out on my first day in a new job, many years ago. It was an out of the classroom job, and genuinely where I thought I wanted to be, professionally. I was so excited about joining a new team, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed.
I’ll never forget the utter defeat I felt when several of the more seasoned professionals in said new department brought the cans back down to my cubicle, announcing they “didn’t have time for “cutesie” things like this”. The derision in their tone was PALPABLE.
It took a year and a half of those kinds of moments, those kinds of defeats before I would make a move that put me back into a setting where I could breathe. Where I could be myself. Where I could feel successful.
As we gear up for a new school year, if you find yourself in a place where you aren’t happy or feel like you can’t breathe… take heart. There is a place for you, where you can feel purposeful, and like it’s where you’re meant to be. Mine came mid-year. I kept my head up and treated every day like it was a job interview. I honed my skills and narrowed my professional intentions. I connected with George Couros, who changed my life and introduced me to a connected world that gave me all kinds of opportunities, relationships, and friends. When an opportunity came up, I was ready.
Don’t start the year sad or discouraged about where you are.
Encouragingly &