Somewhere on the road to the English degree, I stopped a gas station. While waiting for a refill I began reading the tourist handouts. My destination sounded good. But it no longer sounded as great as it had when I set out. The road to English was speckled with potholes and construction zones. When you are excited about your destination very little will deter you from getting there. Roadblocks will almost energize you. How to overcome them excites and inspires you. Not with English.
I entered the gas station to retrieve a bottled water and picked up some tourist info on some alternate stops. I wanted something that involved no backtracking. All the effort I had already spent to get here needed to be worth it. I wasn’t turning around and driving back. Even for only a mile. I was going forward. Not looking back. Finally one caught my eye. Organizational Leadership. As I read the local attractions and sightseeing opportunities I was inspired. It involved straight driving from here on out. I am now driving down the road happy as a clam. There are some roadblocks, but they are energizing.
When you are excited about your destination very little will deter you from getting there. Roadblocks will almost energize you.Most of you are probably reading that and thinking, “Why is she not getting an English degree? Anyone who wants to turn a degree change into a story needs to be writing”! But that’s just it. The more I looked at English and what I would be studying and what I would be reading, the less excited I was about it. A degree in English was not what I wanted to do.
I was typing an email the other day and looked at my signature. My signature is a rotation of early American quotations that my sister keeps me stocked with. This particular one was from John Adams and read, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” And I realized, that is what I love.
I am a leader. And being a leader is what I love doing. It inspires me and energizes me. Maybe it’s being the oldest in a large family. Maybe my leadership skills are well honed. Whatever it is, I want to be a leader. Leadership courses, books, and webinars are some of my favorite things. And I’m excited about where I’m going!