A Time of Redirection

Gayle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:24:02 +0000

This is the start of a new era for me. A few times during my life I realized that it was time for me to redirect my focus. Both times I was slow in realizing it. For seven years I was a junior high teacher. Occasionally I would complain about a particular student to my mother. Her reply was always, “Just be glad you have a job, Gayle.” My parents lived through the depression so you can see why she would say that. My dad worked at the same company for 46 years, which is unheard of today. During my sixth year of teaching my mother started telling me that I needed to quit. It took me until the first day of school my seventh year, when I kicked a boy out of class that I took her words to heart. I remember thinking, I don’t know what I will do next year but there has to be a better fit for me other than in the classroom. My mother saw that it was absolutely destroying me, turning me into a different person. By the time I left the classroom my unhappiness had penetrated to my soul. It was so deep that if you had told me I would have to go back in the classroom within fifteen years of leaving, I would have cried.

I always wondered why I never survived as a teacher. I enjoy the junior high age group. They are enthusiastic and have lots of energy like I do. I didn’t have to wipe their noses or tie their shoes and they didn’t act like they knew everything.

Through the years, I’ve had the opportunity to take many personality assessments. For me life is about figuring out my strengths, challenges and areas in need of improvement. In one assessment, I found out that I’m an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs thrive on change, we’re great at coming up with ideas, we love to have fun and we don’t like structure. What is worse than junior high or middle school when it comes to structure? When I quit I said I couldn’t take the bells. The bells were the structure. Each year I’d say – I only want to be a witch for a week and have it count for the year, but the kids forced me to be one everyday. The strict discipline was the structure, too.

I owned a manufacturing company for twenty years, which fit better with my entrepreneurial personality. That business was the second time I stayed too long. I should have redirected my life after fifteen years instead of twenty. I woke up one morning and realized that my work was no longer fun.

Now I’m redirecting my life again. My passion is to help youth discover the talents that they can bring to the world. They have so many choices in front of them and I help them figure out the best path to take. I love to help people find their purpose and dream.

A Welcome and Introduction

Gayle — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:23:40 +0000

I love to have Fun. That is with a capital F. I love to be creative, learn new skills and gain knowledge, travel, exercise, ski, take pictures, meet new friends, and go to the theater. I like the words Passion, Personality, Positivity, Play and Pamper. This blog will feature things that will relate to these words. Actually I could just say two of them – passion and pamper. If we’re doing what we are passionate about, we often know our personality, we are positive and we’re usually enjoying life. To be able to live our passion to the fullest, we need to take care of ourself.

We hear so much negative news. This blog will take a look at positive themes especially techniques for keeping a positive attitude. In addition, I’ll share some of my favorite books.

I love to work with middle and high school age students on topics such as self-esteem, life choices, confidence, appreciating differences, and what it takes to be a good friend.

One thing I am passionate about is helping people find their passion. As a certified Dream Coach®, I do this through a 10-step process that helps people determine their purpose, create a new vision for their life, and develop a plan for how to achieve it. People find that the combination of structure and conversation helps them uncover what their true interests are and makes achieving their new vision more attainable.

One day at my Toastmaster Club a guest volunteered to give a 2-minute impromptu talk. The topic he drew was to talk about something he was passionate about. He couldn’t think of anything. This could mean that he wasn’t passionate about his work or anything he was doing outside of his job. If that were the case, it would be a great time for him to go through a process of self-reflection.

I see too many people walking around like they are robots – totally unfulfilled with a lack of energy and enthusiasm for life. They are not playing out their life to the fullest. Why waste time in a dead end job or career you don’t like? Life’s too precious! Maybe you are not in the best job within your company and need to switch to something else. Maybe you need to get involved with a non-profit during your spare time. You will find fulfillment in life if you are in alignment with your purpose.

As we near the end of the year, it’s a good time to ponder, do some soul searching, and evaluate where we are. What choices do we need to make to get to where we want to go?

GayleRodgers.com

A Time of Redirection

A Welcome and Introduction