I was dissatisfied with my teaching job. I enjoyed some parts of my work, but I also felt I had many talents that weren’t being utilized. Lisa’s process allowed me to take stock of my talents, and discover new areas where I could apply my strengths. I realized that I wanted to stay in education, but desired a different role–one that allowed me to innovate, create, and motivate other teachers and education professionals to create quality results in their environments. I began to work on a business plan centered around helping educational organizations and professionals achieve their potential through workshops, consultation, and organizational products. I am hoping to work as a consultant to help schools improve their performance through individual behavioral change.With Lisa, I learned how to be flexible. Lisa believes in creating concrete goals but also working on envisioning new possibilities by focusing on values, not specific metrics. Many of the exercises we did allowed me to envision new possibilities. Maybe I didn’t need to work for an organization–maybe I could start my own. Maybe I didn’t need another degree–I just needed a few specific business classes to learn the basics. Lisa helped to challenge my doubts and also opened my eyes to areas where I wasn’t looking closely enough.The result for me was a new way of thinking about what I wanted to create in my life by opening my mind to all the resources that surround me: time, money, expertise, and the local community. Lisa is wonderful at getting you to see things a new way, and often challenges your fears and misconceptions about why you can’t achieve a certain outcome. I am excited to see where my new direction will lead, and I would still be sitting around waiting for the right opportunity to come along if I hadn’t worked with Lisa. It was a jumpstart that I really needed, and I recommend it to anyone who is feeling in need of a push in the right direction.
3/10 update: I received an e-mail this morning from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education saying that my business plan had been accepted into the semifinal round of their educational entrepreneurship contest! The top two prizes are $15000 and $25000 to give starter funding to educational initiatives. My idea is to create a one year teacher fellowship that recognizes outstanding educators by providing them with professional development and travel funding. The fellowships would be funded through revenues from a subscription-based website that allows these top teachers to share their curriculum ideas with a broader audience.
I could not have entered this contest without the solid foundation you gave me last year. From creating a mission to breaking it down into small, measurable action steps, this opportunity (no matter where it leads) would not have happened. In short, thank you!