The Travel Guru

I have three daughters. The pressure to create three incredible women with the confidence and common sense to overcome all of life's challenges is daunting, not to mention unrealistic. "Practice what I preach, not what I do" is a common and irritating statement that relates well with the parenting challenge. The truth is, they're always watching.

I often remind people the best method when encouraging change in others is to consistently demonstrate the desired behavior. Look at my job, for example. I am here due to researching career development cirricullum while providing staff training for another employer. The art of job applications is daunting, and I decided to go through the process as a matter of example. Who would have known that I would be hired to work for the University of Oregon?

So taking my own advice was ultimately helpful. In considering all the encouragement sermon I recite to my daughters, am I below benefiting from the same presumable healthy choices I encourage them to make? Specifically "when considering your future career, explore something you love to do. That way, work is never a job. It becomes what you love to do with your time."

After almost 15 years in mostly social work/government roles, it occurred to me how much I appreciate helping others. I would like to help people plan their lives and experiences. I have decided to pursue a career as a life coach and travel agent. At this point, I have only the start of a picture of myself: what I do for others each day, how I would spend my time 'working' and what ways I connect with the larger community. This thinking takes me back to the personal mission statement, which I have just now decided is my next blog topic.

I don't yet know all the turns on the path, but I trust the destination. The how now is being back in school this term, continuing to refine the vision, and using blog space like this to map out all the thinking.