Welcome to my blog. My intentions with what will be written in front of your eyes are to provide insight to any person whose heart wishes to be in a better place but doesn't know what that better place is, or even how to look for it. I'll start this blog by making it clear that I am only at the beginning of my journey to a better place. This blog will help me remember the weekly path I am currently walking down in order to better understand how I found the place in this world I feel I belong. In the end, that is the ultimate goal of this blog, and I am 100% committed to finding my place on this journey.
Who am I? Good Question. The basic facts it would behoove a reader to be educated upon are the following:
- I am a male in my early 30's
- I live in Kirkland, WA. About 10 minutes east of Seattle.
- I have been married for 10 years and have an "almost 4" year old daughter.
- I am beginning a one year program at a local university to obtain my Elementary School Teaching Certificate.
What's my story?
The back story that brings us to the beginning of this journey is simple. In 1999 I graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Economics...and not a clue what I wanted to do with it. I dabbled in financial planning for 3 years, non-profit fundraising for 1, and customer service management for 6. I wouldn't trade any of the experiences I had or the friends I made as they all added up to a feeling that I had more to offer someone, somewhere. By the summer of 2008 I had decided I needed more fulfillment with my career. I had my personal life. I had my spiritual life. But I wanted more out of my career. By the fall, I had figured out the one piece of fabric that tied all my years as a professional together...teaching. Educating clients on how to plan financially, showing everyday people what their volunteer time and dollars can do for a community, and convincing customer service reps of how they make such a difference to so many people is where I truly excelled at my jobs. I thought about who would gain the most from my enthusiasm about education. It took about three weeks as an assistance track coach for a local elementary school in the Spring of 2009 to convince me children was my answer. The last year has been spent getting my ducks in a row and preparing myself for what I know will be the most difficult journey I will ever complete.
So here I sit ready to read countless books, discuss hundreds of articles, and spend tens of thousands of dollars all to be in an industry that is known to overwork, underpay, under appreciate, and ignore what works best. Why? Why would I do this to myself and my family? Because when I think about it with the end in mind, I want my eulogy to be a story of someone who followed his heart, positively touched the lives of countless people, and at least attempted to make this world a better place. It seems so simple. It seems so....Elementary.
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