I remember reading this book a while ago and it made a real impression on me. I haven’t really thought much about it again till this week, where stark contrast between then and now have been massively noticeable to me.
I have turned down a lot of teaching relief work while I have been setting up the business premises. I have not caught up with work and have been called by a school I visit regularly who are seriously short of relief teachers, begging me to help out. I go in when I can, but it’s never a full day: a few lessons here, a few lessons there.
I was in twice his week, and something really noticeable hit me.
All the staff seemed so burdened, rushed, huge piles of papers and clearly long hours. Lots of sickness meaning I get lots of calls. I was sitting in the staff room today at morning tea, teacher next to me was talking to her friend about how she was at her wits end with a particular group, having tried her ‘whole bag of tricks’ yet still felt like she was getting nowhere.
I stopped and thought for a moment. Why did I become a teacher? Why did I chose to stop being a teacher. The answer to my second question was all around me in the faces of the worn out staff. I thought how much teaching had changed, how much I had changed. It’s no wonder I left. It just isn’t the same profession I started out in 17 years ago.
Then I reflected on how I felt. I have been told by people who haven’t seen me in a while that I ‘look amazing’. I often wondered what they meant, but now I know. The stress, worry and tiredness is gone in my face: now I have happiness and control, amongst many things.
Later I had a business meeting with a local organisation. Another thing struck me. If anything in a company needs changing it has a long process to go through. I don’t have that. If I want to change it, I change it.
There’s a lot of blessings to being your own boss.
I thought how lucky I was. Such a thriving successful new business so quickly, so soon, coupled with such a shift in my own mood and health.
Life couldn’t be better, now I’m doing what I love.
