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Today's
Meditation:
Who
are you meant to be? What do you feel, in your heart
of hearts, is your true calling?
Think
about the work you're doing now. Does it allow you
to express yourself, your true feelings? Is it
fulfilling? Is it helping you to reach your
potential in the ways you want it to?
I
wanted to teach college for the longest time, and I
eventually found a full-time job at a small college near
where I live. For the first two years, the job was
very fulfilling and I enjoyed it a lot. I was able
to do work that I always wanted to while helping students
to reach their potential. Due to a slew of
administrative changes, though, I watched as the services
to the students were slashed dramatically while the price
of the school continued to rise. Because of
re-definition of faculty roles, my job became less and
less fulfilling. Not only that, but a host of
ethical questions began to plague me as I started to
realize that I was part of the system that wasn't
providing the services that parents and students alike
were expecting.
I
soon realized that I had to leave the school if I were to
have peace of mind and if I were to be able to find work
that allowed me to be who I am. I went from being an
assistant professor at a college to being a desk clerk at
a hotel at the Grand Canyon, and I've been loving every
minute of it. I have much more contact with
co-workers (who are wonderful people) and much more
contact with other people, and I have the ability to use
many of my problem-solving skills on the job, which I
wasn't able to do before.
While
I plan to get back to teaching eventually, I'm enjoying
the new work that allows me to interact with people much
more. The fact that my paychecks are much smaller
doesn't matter to me, as my wife and I have simplified our
lives significantly and we don't have the bills that we
used to have. I'm enjoying the work a great deal and
I'm learning a lot about interacting with others
(something that most college teachers could use lessons
on, myself included). In my current position, I feel
very strongly that I'm able to be me, to express myself,
and to enjoy all that I'm doing.
Had
I held on to the other job in order to keep the paycheck,
where would I be right now?
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