Check Your Passion

In Steve Gilliland's book called, Enjoy the Ride, his secretary approached him after a great annual performance review because she noticed there was no passion or excitement in his voice after finding out that he got a raise and another bonus. With this, she asked him a thought provoking question that would alter the course of his life, "If every job in the world paid the same, would you still be doing what you are doing?" He checked himself and realized that he did not want to pursue sales any longer. He wanted to "be in front of an audience motivating them to maximize their full potential, inspiring them to focus on their talents, and teaching them new skills and competencies." (pg. 2)

At the Texas Association of Secondary School Principal (TASSP) Summer Workshop this June, I had an opportunity to hear Steve Gilliland speak. It was a great opening to the conference and I was inspired to check my passion. As I think about the question, I had to be real with myself. Do I enjoy my job? Do I love what I am doing? Do I love whom I am doing this with? I was able to answer everyone of the questions with a "Yes!" I love what I do. I love why I do it; and I love whom I do it with. I want to make a difference in student's lives. This is why I am here. 

I saw an ex-student today as I was pumping gas at Kroger. He saw me and got out of his truck to come talk to me and tell me about how his life was going. He joined the Navy and is about to go into the Gulf to fight for our country. Before he left, he told me to continue to watch out for my students. It made me feel so good 1) that he took the time to approach me; 2) he wanted to share his story with me. This was a good reminder to me of why I do what I do.