Meeting My Five Year Goal...

Today was a culmination of meeting my five year goal in less than three.  When I started my masters in education (I have another in health sciences), I decided that it was important for me to have an end goal.  Not meaning that I would just stop with the masters, but what I actually wanted to do with it.    I have always been the type of person who accepts a challenge and as my sisters like to say, I can overcome it and conquer. 

There are other times when I know a certain challenge isn't worth my time, and though some may see it as a failure, I have just learned when I am able to accomplish something and when something is more of a waste of time than anything.  In short, accomplishing one goals should lead to accomplishing another. So I choose my battles.  However to some it seems that I have given up or that they have "won". Sadly, they are too narrow minded to see that through careful observation and critical thinking, I have decided that some things and people (in regards to issues and drama) are just not worth wasting my time on anymore. Those things that cause me to get away from the path less traveled are going to be of no benefit to me and in some cases severely hamper my ability to accomplish a challenge set before for.

I recently had someone point out to me that someone else was convinced that they had conquered me at something or won.  I replied, what is there to win, when I wasn't fighting in the first place... I love how people are hung up on either winning or losing. Who cares about the end result, if you didn't learn a damn thing during the process. I know people who have "won" according to some people's terms and when you ask them what they learned, they cannot give you an answer.  I haven't stopped with my education AND I also didn't get an education and then do nothing with it, because I am of the believe that what we learn, we shouldn't hold and keep it to ourselves, but rather we should share it with others. Everything we do in life is a "teachable moment" meaning whatever the outcome, we can learn something.

In the Fall of 2007, I met with my advisor to map out my long term plan and my short term plan.  I mentioned that I wanted to become the dean of a college or a program.  He encouraged me to complete my masters and then asked me if I was interested in the doctoral program.  In the beginning I wasn't so sure because I figured with three degrees, I had more than enough.  However, I had several people encouraging me to pursue my doctorate and after careful consideration, I decided that I would.  It is important to also know that after my daughter was born, I almost died the week after her birth due to excessively high blood pressure brought on by the preeclampsia that I had.  This was a real eye opener to me, not only as a mother, but as a person in general, and I learned not to take each day for granted, but rather revel in the fact that I was here another day.

This philosophy is what I strive to live by, because so many people just settle and don't get out their and pursue their dreams. Often times they say that they are etc, but it is evident that isn't the case when the fruits of their labor or minimal or other distractions keep them from reaching attainable goals.  I guess what I have to say about that is what my Dad used to say: Anything worth doing, is worth doing well.  Nothing is handed to you.  You have to work hard to achieve your dreams because there is no self satisfaction in having someone else do the work for you.

So today was a culmination of hard work, encouragement, belief in the ability to succeed, and making opportunities happen.  It was great to go to a college where the people are happy to brag that they hired me... Not that it hasn't happened before, but everywhere I went, people were very friendly and realized that I DO know my stuff. I worked really hard to know my stuff through my masters coursework and my current doctoral work, because I WANTED to put my theory in to practice after putting practice back into theory. I also have had some EXCELLENT mentors during the last 15 years who recognized my leadership ability and encouraged me to grow.  Often times they presented challenges to me that I welcomed.  I am not afraid of conflict, but I do have an issue with conflict that has no purpose.  However, these individuals taught me how to accept conflict and use it to better myself.  In turn, I feel an obligation to do the same thing for those I manage.

 Fullan talks about leadership and change, but is quick to mention that as people go through change, it is vitally important to empower others to be leaders during change as well. In simple terms, pay it forward!  I am so grateful that my mentors paid it forward, because today, as I sat in the lobby of Virgina College for my first day as Director of General Education- Online Division, I realized that this wasn't the end, but the beginning of a mix of various things, but mostly having achieved a dream. Steve Jobs was and is someone that I really admired and still find great use for his knowledge and insight.  He once said,  

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it"...  When we do our work, it isn't a matter of stomping on others to get where we are.  It might allow some satisfaction in the beginning, but what have we really gained by "winning"?  How about promoting a win win situation where, not that everyone gets a prize, but people are willing to share "best practice".  Because I value this, I tend to ask more questions than provide answers, because I see the valuation of collaboration.

I've found my passion and am so excited to start another chapter of my educational career.  One of my favorite things about being in education is that we educators, have learned that learning is a life long process, and when people lose the desire to learn, we need to find a way to inspire and motivate them to find how education and passion intersect.  For me, this isn't just settling now that I have reached one goal.  Rather it ignites a fire to keep on learning, growing, mentoring so through this we can inspire others to be leaders, while we fine tune our own skills.  

To me, education is more than just a buzzword.  Education and being educated is a life long journey, and how sad it is when we become so arrogant to think that we have learned all we need to know in life.   Once we see that in others, we achieve the ultimate satisfaction in creating autonomy, but also in knowing that autonomy isn't the end. I'll conclude with this quotes, which I have after my signature at work:  

“The highest reward for a person's work is not what they get for it, but what they become because of it.” -- John Ruskin