Set Your Intentions #9

When a flower does not bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.    -Alexander Den Heijer

Set Your Intentions #6

The sea is dangerous and its storms terrible, but these obstacles have never been sufficient reason to remain ashore...unlike the mediocre, intrepid spirits seek victory over those things that seem impossible...it is with an iron will that they embark on the most daring of all endeavors...to meet the shadowy future without fear and conquer the unknown.
                                  ~Ferdinand Magellan

Flashbacks To A New Counselor

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path; and that will make all the difference.”              ~Steve Jobs

I am going to spend the next few posts connecting my dots.  At the same time, I'll give some flashback advice to the old me.  Not sure how this will turn out or if it will be of benefit to you, but I hope it helps the Rookie School Counselor Me.

Flashback
I remember sitting on the floor in my counselor room staring at shelves full of books, games, manuals, and files not knowing where to begin.  In walks my Principal and asked if I was all set to begin the school year.  Internally, I thought, Not so much.  I was overwhelmed. I looked her straight in the eyes and said, You bet!

Think about it.  One day you are a Student and the next day you are the Expert.  Graduated.  Certified. The Works.  Like it or not, that will be your perceived role.  At least, by some it will.

Words to live by to the Rookie Counselor Me: Do not hide from it.  Do not run away from it.  Embrace it.  Unleash your Passion.  Meet it square-on and Believe in your 'self'. 

As Steve Jobs said, "...trust in something-- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever."  Mark your internal compass by that and set sail.  You are Curious.  And Resilient.  A Persistent bugger, too. So roll up those sleeves and have at it.  You will make a Good Noise.

stumble upon

I stumbled upon the counseling profession gig.  It was a moment of epiphany, mind you.  Still, stumbling is stumbling.

Once upon a time, I was in an entirely different profession.  One day while having lunch with a colleague he shared with me that he was thinking of changing careers.  Either he was going to take an offer to be the Tennis Pro at a country club or go back to school to become a Counselor.  Aha!- the light bulb went off.  That is what I want to do.  BE a School Counselor.  Hence, the start of my path down This Counselor's Journey.

Education is what drives me and bestows me with a sense of purpose (Outside of my family, of course).  It provides me focus, a place to put my creative energy. It is one of the things I am here to do.  It is a calling that comes naturally.  I was lucky to have stumbled upon this profession.

What have you stumbled upon?