How I found my passion

In my previous post I spoke about my mum. She was a teacher and headmistress (as they were known then) for over 30 years before she passed away from pancreatic cancer.

I never followed her teaching path, although it always fascinated me. I vividly remember when I was a teenager being in her Kindergarten classroom and watching the eager eyes look up at Mum and take in everything she was singing or saying. The smiles, the learning that was taking place in that environment made me smile, (on the inside as well). This was a moment in finding my passion ... but I did not realise it at the time.

Instead, after high school I went into university to do a business degree. I finished and had some job offers. I took a role in a large blue chip firm as a sales graduate as they were the most efficient in getting back to me after each interview stage and (frankly) they would look good on my resume when I left.

18 years later (in the same firm) in 2009 and I am managing payments to over 1,000 sellers for commissions in Australia and New Zealand - my first finance role. This role left me emotional exhausted.

At one point at the end of my commissions time, my wife, Colleen, asked me how I was feeling: 'See that corner over there, I want to curl up in it and not talk to anyone'. Apparently this was not the 'normal' Brett and the Psychologist in Colleen saw through it immediately.

So picture this ... it's 6pm Friday night at Dural Squash Courts where I coached. One of my friends, Frikkie, came up to me and said 'Great to hear that you are coming with me to South Africa'. I must have stood there mute and with a questioning look on my face. Colleen came over and said 'Here, tell your manager you leave next Thursday'. She handed me a ticket from Sydney to Johannesburg return leaving in 6 days time.

My company were amazing, they knew the pressure I had been under and took no time to give me time off. After squash that night, I rang my best mate, Dean, to tell him.

Image from amazon.com

Dean and I have what we call a 'Friday call' where I call Dean (most of the time) every Friday to catchup. It was a New Year's resolution I made to catch up with my dad, brother and Dean some years after mum died. If I miss the call for whatever reason then inevitably I get a call on Saturday asking if I am okay from the person I have missed. I have only missed maybe 5 calls in over 7 years of doing this.

So in my catchup with Dean, I had cool news ... South Africa. It turned out that Dean had been shopping for me and said he would send me two books - 'What Color is my Parachute' (2008) and the associated 'workbook'. He suggested I read the book and complete the workbook as it would help me to 'find my passion in life' ... it was one of the most amazing gifts I have ever been given.

In between visiting Frikkie's work office in Joberg, playing golf (Vodacom World of Golf is a must) and visiting wildlife parks, I read the book and filled out the workbook.

At the end, it showed that my focus was on 'giving back' or 'helping others' - teaching, nursing, volunteer work. This was another 'moment' in finding my passion - but (again) I did not realise it at the time.

I came back and moved into Sales Operations.

Then Colleen came and mentioned something that would change my life ...

She was looking to do a Masters of Teaching as if she wanted to be a psychologist in a school then this would give her a better base ... I immediate knew that is what I wanted to do. (Finally, I had seen the signs - it only took a few!).

So here I am ... 3 subjects and 1 prac to go, 6 months from getting my Masters of Teaching (Primary). I have done the 2 year full-time course in 4.5 years, while working full time. My firm have been incredibly supportive.

What now? I have found what I need to do - teaching, I have the course nearly complete, I have been in the same company for over 22 years ... How do I take the leap of faith and get into teaching? ... there is a story for next time ...

Footnote: So how did Colleen go in the Masters of Teaching? Did she beat me? (not that we were competing!). For the first year of our degree, we could not be separated in marks. We did two subjects per semester and each time we scored exactly the same marks when you added both subject together. It was not to keep going ... in our 3rd semester studying together, Colleen started to beat me. Luckily she applied for a Masters of Clinical Psychology and out of 800 applicants and 25 places, she got accepted! An amazing achievement not only to get in, but to leave me in peace with my teaching! She has helped me so much to settle into study. she taught me how to manage a course by correspondence - but that is a topic for another blog.