Act 2

When I retired from the classroom last May, I knew it wasn’t an ending. Don’t get me wrong. It was ⏰time to make a transition from the classroom. My time there served me well, and I felt confident I did what I set out to do with my students.✅ When I left that career behind, I planned for a new beginning. I just didn’t know what it would be. Over the past few months, I’ve explored the possibilities out there.🧐 I talked with friends. I 🔎investigated a few options to find a good fit for my skills and passions.

Searching for a new career isn’t easy. Don’t let anyone tell you it is. The last time I looked for a job was in 2003!😮 The only place I’ve ever worked in my professional life is a 📚school. Put a middle school student in front of me, and I know what to do.👍🏻 Changing careers turned out to be more of a challenge than I anticipated. My biggest problem was that I had an idea in my head of the job I wanted. It just didn’t seem to be out there for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️Nevertheless, I kept searching.🧐

My efforts were rewarded!🎉 I am happy to report that I have a new title: Marketing Content Specialist! What does that mean? I’m on the team of an education technology company responsible for planning, researching, and 📝writing for their 💻online platforms. My new role brought two of my passions together- education and writing!🥳 Could it get any better? Yep- it’s a remote job. I can work from anywhere!🙌

All it took was preparation, patience, an open mind, and dedication to finding the job that was perfect for me. Did I feel overwhelmed during the process?😔 Yep. Did I ever doubt I would find what I was looking for?😔 Every day! Were there moments of depression and second-guessing myself?😔 For sure! But I pressed on, and it paid off.🤩

What about you? Are there some changes that you want to make? I used to be 😱afraid of change. But I didn’t need to feel that way. Recent changes have felt like 🎄Christmas morning every day! I feel lighter.☀️ Motivated to get out of bed in the mornings.☀️ A renewed sense of purpose.☀️ Those frightened feelings took a back seat when I acted to move forward with change.

“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” ~Raymond Lindquist💖