I started my MBA program this week. Did I mention I was pursuing an MBA? I am.
When I chose to go back to work full-time I knew I wouldn’t be able to
complete the extensive practicum and internship requirements to complete my
counseling degree. I set that degree
aside (of course I will complete it) and began working. Much to my surprise, I learned that my
current position will pay for me to receive my MBA in a program that teaches the
business-building skills I currently
lack. It felt like a perfect fit for a
small-business entrepreneur, personal coach.
So, I’ve started the program and it feels great to be back in school
again.
The assignment for this week is focused on the need for an
individual to have an overall career plan and then know how to adjust, correct,
and be fluidly adaptable when needed. My
text and supporting articles all reflected my own personal views: Choose your inherent values and build upon
those. When you start with a value-based
foundation, the details will all fall into place. Sometimes the details will surprise you and
lead you somewhere you never expected, but when the values are firm the outcome
will be extraordinary.
We were asked to look at our own personal experiences and it
was a wonderful exercise to look back and see those times when I stuck to my
values and allowed my life’s evolution in surprising and interesting ways. There were other times when I was too rigidly
focused on what I perceived SHOULD be happening next and those moments of
stubborn rigidity resulted in paralysis, depression, frustration and needless
worry.
I will never advocate just floating in the wind and letting
life blow you wherever it will. I don’t
believe that will ever give you a life you’ve dreamed of. But in remembering what is most important to
you and pursuing your dreams (even when they lead down surprising roads) joy
and accomplishment will be the end result.
ALSO! When you begin compromising
your personal values in order to reach a pre-determined end- we all know
Machiavelli’s mantra “the ends justify the means”- things rarely work out the
way you intend and even if the path seems ideal for a moment, compromising
personal values will always lead to heart break and disappointment (whether
personal or public).
The choice to return to full-time work and set aside my
counseling degree was not easy, but as I continue progressing as a counselor
(for the school I work for), a coach (for my clients), and as a business
student I can see how they are now working together to build a solid, dynamic
future.
Have you ever taken the time to reflect upon your crossroads
and the decisions that have led you to where you are now (the good, the bad,
and the ugly?)? I highly recommend it.
