It's Big, It's Grey... and It's Yours.

We all have something in our lives that we would call an elephant: it's that one big thing we would love to do, but make a million excuses not to do it. There's major risk involved. A lot of hard work is required; maybe more than we've ever been asked of ourselves. Do you fear the elephant?

4 years ago, I decided to leave the profession of teaching to pursue... Ha! I didn't know and to some degree I still don't! But I had enough reasons back then to make the move. Now, don't get me wrong... it took two years of consideration and uncertainty before coming to that point, but it certainly prepared me for the raised eye brows and head shaking I got when I made the announcement. "Are you nuts? Summers off, a great pension... why would you give that up?" "What about all of your education? You're just going to let that go to waste?"

What seemed like a hasty decision to others, was actually well thought out. I mean, I had two years of behind-the-scenes contemplation. The one truth I couldn't surpress was no longer being happy in my career. Too many underprivileged kids were falling through the cracks. From what I could see, education was becoming a business and children where being treated like cardboard cut-outs. I knew with every ounce of my body I needed to make a change, but I was scared as hell to do it. I worried about what other people would think. I worried about what I would "do" next, but regardless the pain pushed me out of teaching and miraculously my happiness moved me forward.

Happiness asked me "What do you REALLY love to do? What are you REALLY good at? What are YOUR gifts to share?" Then something bigger asked me "Why are you here?" That last question I'm still trying to answer in greater detail, but in general I've come to answer it as "to live in joy and to leave the earth and humanity better than when I arrived".

Now that I'm on the other side, I often look back at how much I agonized over making that decision and I always smile with relief. My life has been nothing short of amazing and it just keeps on getting better. Increased community involvement, television appearances - even co-hosting a series (that not even I could watch because I'm not a cable subscriber), meeting a multitude incredible people and working for a company that cares.

Trying to leave the earth and humanity better than when I arrived is a BIG elephant, but like the saying goes, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at time. And... in hindu tradition, Ganesh is a deity resembling an Elephant, also known as a destroyer of obstacles. If that's so, how can something be an obstacle and an obstacle remover? Looks like an opportunity to me.

Special thanks to Aaron Robb, who challenged me to write a blog post that included the words "fear the elephant".  I promised to do it if his next blog post included the words "in the babbling brook". My mission has been completed :)