“All the true things must change and only that which changes remains true.” Carl Jung, — Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology

Have you ever thought about changing the direction of your career? Did you think to yourself that it’s too late or you are too old to change now!?

Well you are not alone. Also, I have news for you: It’s never too late to make a shift in the direction you want to go in life!

In the past year I have had many inquiries about how I became a professor. Most people had no idea what my background really was and simply assumed I just deciding to teach, applied and got the job. The truth is I made the decision to teach college classes many years ago in 2006. I thought I would share just a snippet of the story in hopes it may inspire others to challenge themselves to make a change.

I Wish I was Bored

Up until 2006 I was a very busy person, too busy and not in a good way. I use to be jealous of people who would say they were bored. I don’t even really understand that word. Does it mean they have down time with nothing to do? I would think wow they are lucky. If I were “bored” I’d catch up on my fun reading, hike a new place, sign up for a cooking class, get back into surfing again… Okay, I guess we can see why I was so “busy.” Perhaps this is how I am wired?

Don’t get me wrong, life was wonderful I was dating an amazing guy, had the best friends, worked at an amazing company (Let’s say it was the “Google” of small organizations. I am pretty sure people would want to bump me off to take my job) and I had the best hobby ever: Teaching Turbo Kick (cardio kickboxing) and PiYo (Strength) fitness class 7-12 times per week. I loved everything I was doing. To be really honest I was just living day to day and enjoying each moment. I was happy, so I didn’t think I needed a plan for the future. Then I broke my foot.

Breaking my foot was my own fault, it was actually fractured before it broke, but I ignored the signs. You know, the actual physical pain in my foot that seemed to disappear when I worked out. I honestly didn’t even think about it. I was on a speeding train and it wasn’t in my plan to slow down, get off at the next stop or even see where this train was heading – I was just too darn busy. My recovery chronicle is different story for another day, but it took 8+ months for the healing process.

Pushed off the Train

Three months post broken foot, I realized God pushed me off the train for a reason and was actually doing me a favor. I believe everything happens for a reason. Those close to me know I am not a religious, go to church every Sunday type person, but I do believe in God, higher power, etc., as he has answered many of my prayers. I am not saying that the divine makes things happen, but I believe there are signs and situations where we have an opportunity to empower ourselves with making choices, learning and growing – some people call these: Defining moments. This event was the first time I really took the chance to slow down and realize, hey, I am 34 and need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

The Secret: Paper & Pen

Paper and pen are very powerful! Anytime I feel scattered, indecisive or blocked I can always count on old fashioned paper and pen. I had taken a break from them for many years. Lucky for me they don’t hold grudges. I couldn’t sweat out my thoughts I wrote them out; I started journaling again and creating task lists.

The Ah-ha Moment

The same year I broke my foot was our first huge company event: Camp Turbo Kick (later known as Camp Do More). My boss dreamed of bringing like-minded people together using her popular fitness format and her awesome charisma as a draw. Here she took an opportunity to flex her teaching muscles and provided several seminars that focused on internal health, because you can’t truly have a fit physique without a healthy mind. Since I had a boot-cast on I was not able to many the workouts (well okay I tried – I know I am addicted to Turbo and have a problem).

During one of the seminars, I remember sitting at the end of an isle with my paper and pen attentive to my bosses words. She had us do an exercise where we write down a list of things that are important to us and a list of goals we want to accomplish… at the end of the process I had five main goals. She had us circle the top goal.

I still have that piece of paper. Why? Because everything on it has happened! Do you know what the number one goal was? Become a college professor.
The #1 goal on the list took the longest, but during the journey all the other goals were met.

The picture above is from the last day of my University of Phoenix faculty training back in January 2013. Prior to that, I started teaching courses for Ashford University online BA program, while I was still working at my full-time job. Now, I also teach Speech Communication and Media & Culture courses at University of Phoenix in the classroom/on campus. There are not enough words to express how much I enjoy and how rewarding teaching is to me.

Many told me it was going to be difficult and that there would be a long list of tasks required to accomplish my “Push” goal … Such as going back to school and getting a Master’s Degree (while working full time, teaching fitness classes, getting married, buying and moving into our first home during).

Again, the things on my list were not accomplished overnight. But in creating smaller tasks to accomplish the big ones is a key tactic. Those who know me, know if I want something I’ll work towards it until I achieve it.
Like any goal in life there is a process. I am not stating that my bosses, mine or anyone else’s is an exact formula for everyone, but this process of starting with paper and pen worked to help me reach my goal – it’s just so powerful!

As I look back, I feel empowered that I took a chance and challenged myself to make a change. You will too and it’s not too late to get started today! Hopefully you won’t have to wait until you are pushed off the train.

Here is a great article/interview:
How to change careers at any age By Jill Elaine Hughes – May 14, 2014 http://tiny.cc/changecareersatanyage

If you need a kick in the bum to start goal setting, I recommend Chalene’s 30 day PUSH – It’s FREE (How amazing is that):    30 Day PUSH Challenge: http://www.30daypush.com/