Lately, I've been a little more than what you call "burnt out" at work. Today, however, my passion for my current occupation was restored. I am a nanny for two very ambitious kids. They study hard and play hard. I was nothing compared to them as a kid. I have always had a pretty ambitious view of what my life should be like, but I've been going about it in a pretty non-traditional way. The way that their lives are structured, you would think they were the poster children of success. They play sports, go to the gym, learn to play in an orchestra, and maintain high grades. From what I have heard so far, they plan on following in their parents' footsteps to become doctors. I was encouraged to do my best in school. My parents never pushed me very hard to engage in extra-curricular activities or to make straight A's. My Dad told me that I had to decide what kind of lifestyle I wanted and then find a job to support it. If I wanted the hot car with the big house, I would probably have to go to college and get a job that paid well enough. If I was content being a waitress and living at home the rest of my life, they were good with that. As you can imagine, the difference between my family and this one made this job a bit of an adjustment for me. My first day on the job, I was blown away. I've been blessed to be able to view life through another family's
I've always felt like the odd ball in my family for many reasons. I never felt like I quite fit into it. It would take several posts to explain what the differences are. The reason I say this now is because I get the feeling the youngest kid in the family I work for feels this way too. He and I have a lot of talks about life when we're in the car. For me, this is the highlight of my job. My parents are divorced, so I would go and visit my dad every other day after school and stay every other weekend. We spent a lot of time in the car as well and had many talks about life. The time I spent in the car with him is some of the most treasured time of my childhood. My talks with this bright young boy are very much like those I had with my dad. The bonding that we share during those rides are exactly why I wanted to be a nanny (for a while.) I wanted the chance to bond with a child, share my experiences, tell what I've learned, give love and support, and inspire a life. I had one of those moments with him today. After a bad experience with an abusive instructor, he was feeling pretty low. Apparently, the instructor told him he wasn't good enough and tried to hold him over time because he wasn't perfect. When we left, he expressed his feelings of inadequacy in other aspects of life. I was pretty astounded. This kid does ten times more than I ever did when I was his age. I told him that I was pretty impressed with all that he does and the ambition that he has. I told him that as long as he does his best, it's okay because that's all you can do. I remember now that I had those same feelings when I was his age and my mother told me the same thing. She told me I did so much more than she ever did in school and that I never gave myself enough credit. I see so much of myself in him and I want to take advantage of the opportunity to help him get around the struggles I faced. I suppose that's what everyone wants for a child. Our conversation went pretty much the way this entry has gone. It ended with him telling me that I should write a book about the things that I tell him. "Beyond the picket fence" is the title he offered.
All day, I have been trying to figure out what my next move would be in fulfilling the purpose of my life. I want to motivate, inspire, educate, entertain. I want to tell stories. After hearing the suggestion of a twelve year old, years of trying to figure out what my first step to getting my thoughts out there would be was simplified. Completely inspired and newly motivated, I decided to start a new blog.
This blog is going to be about the people that have inspired me and taught me things. This is the ongoing story about the people whose influence is molding me into who I am. While I may have or have had issues with some I'll write about, I'm finding that there is something good to take from everyone. This is about finding inspiration and giving inspiration. It's about trying to see the glass half full, the silver linings, and the opportune moments. Unexpectedly, my life has already been dramatically changed for good by a twelve year old boy. No matter who you are, where you are, what you do, you have an infinite amount of power and opportunity to change a life and change the world. The way you touch a life matters in ways you cannot imagine. That is why we have to be so careful of how we treat others. We all contribute to shaping and molding one another. It is something none of us should take lightly or ever forget.
For this first post, I am challenging you to think. Think about the most influential people in your life. Think of how they have had an impact on you. Now try to think of someone you consider to have been just another person passing through your life, someone inconsequential. I guarantee you will find a way that the impact they have had on your life has been more significant than you give them credit for. I bet if you think hard enough of the person who has hurt you the most, you can find a way that their impact has made a change for the better in your life. As I challenge you to try to reprogram your minds to think this way, I challenge myself. Will we fail? Sure. The point is that we don't give up trying. Am I saying I challenge you to never be upset again or ever feel hopeless? No way! That's unrealistic. I know for a fact that I'm gonna fall off the horse. I know you will too. We're human. We're imperfect. Even our imperfection is a good thing! What matters is that we keep getting back on the horse. Who is ready to ride with me?
