2009/02/06
Well, it's been a month since THAT day, and all I can say is that I have been overwhelmed with support and good wishes for my next adventure, wherever it may be. I am constantly amazed at how much faith others have in ME... and feel so blessed to have those people in my life. As someone who is often the "giver" of encouragement and positive affirmations for clients, colleagues, or friends, I'm admittedly unaccustomed to being the "receiver" of the same.
Although I try to maintain a healthy diet of optimism in life, I sometimes wonder what is my purpose on this planet. I have accomplished some pretty amazing things, have had incredible experiences on career and personal levels, and truly do look forward to the next adventure life has in store for me, but the reality is sometimes I just wonder "why"? Is it that really, I’m only meant to take the journey, never reach the destination (or it just be a stopover), and keep inspiring others to set, reach, attain, and repeat when it comes to the game of goal-setting?
Why am I blessed to be given so many opportunities in life, only to find I've not used them properly? People are amazed that I have in a matter of 10 years been a police officer, a journalist, PR & communications consultant, fitness trainer, owner of an all-natural bodycare line, career firefighter... my resume is pretty jam-packed, and I know the people who tell me I should become a paramedic are actually serious! But in the broader sense beyond my CV, why is it that I choose these incredibly lofty goals, throw my heart into achieving them, then… Really, it wasn’t enough to set a goal of becoming a firefighter. I guess I should have specified I’d like to be one for more than three months!
I’ve wracked my brain psychoanalyzing myself. Why am I drawn to physically demanding, mentally challenging, and emotionally draining professions? I’m not trying to prove anything, to anyone. It just so happens the things I like to do are typically found in male-dominated professions. Before deciding on a career in firefighting, my other consideration was to join the Army, Direct Entry Officer. Yes, seriously. The boys at the Regiment still wonder why I’m not in fatigues. Still, the fact remains that I’m much more at home with a bunch of loud and brash Army brats, cops, or bucketheads than I am pretending to be interested in matching curtains, silverware, or matching shoes and handbags whilst passing idle gossip around the office water cooler. I so could not live in the land of Dilbert or Office Space. “Anyone theen my red thtapler??” I even prefer Men's Health to Women's Health magazine... and not just for the pictures! But seriously, Women's Health has 5lb dumbbells and yoga mats... while Men's Health has kettlebells, tractor tires, and Marine Corps challenges. Which do you think is more my style?
I will continue to reach for my goal in becoming a career firefighter, and will not stop until all doors are closed. Then, and not for the purposes of manual or hydraulic ventilation, I will start to open other doors. Maybe some windows, too. I'm not a quitter, but I'd be hard pressed to find a more difficult profession to break into. But at the same time, I need to be realistic. Sure, I certainly don't fit any mold of what you think a firefighter should look like, but I am the sum of many talented parts. I just hope to get a chance to prove it.
TD
Well, it's been a month since THAT day, and all I can say is that I have been overwhelmed with support and good wishes for my next adventure, wherever it may be. I am constantly amazed at how much faith others have in ME... and feel so blessed to have those people in my life. As someone who is often the "giver" of encouragement and positive affirmations for clients, colleagues, or friends, I'm admittedly unaccustomed to being the "receiver" of the same.
Although I try to maintain a healthy diet of optimism in life, I sometimes wonder what is my purpose on this planet. I have accomplished some pretty amazing things, have had incredible experiences on career and personal levels, and truly do look forward to the next adventure life has in store for me, but the reality is sometimes I just wonder "why"? Is it that really, I’m only meant to take the journey, never reach the destination (or it just be a stopover), and keep inspiring others to set, reach, attain, and repeat when it comes to the game of goal-setting?
Why am I blessed to be given so many opportunities in life, only to find I've not used them properly? People are amazed that I have in a matter of 10 years been a police officer, a journalist, PR & communications consultant, fitness trainer, owner of an all-natural bodycare line, career firefighter... my resume is pretty jam-packed, and I know the people who tell me I should become a paramedic are actually serious! But in the broader sense beyond my CV, why is it that I choose these incredibly lofty goals, throw my heart into achieving them, then… Really, it wasn’t enough to set a goal of becoming a firefighter. I guess I should have specified I’d like to be one for more than three months!
I’ve wracked my brain psychoanalyzing myself. Why am I drawn to physically demanding, mentally challenging, and emotionally draining professions? I’m not trying to prove anything, to anyone. It just so happens the things I like to do are typically found in male-dominated professions. Before deciding on a career in firefighting, my other consideration was to join the Army, Direct Entry Officer. Yes, seriously. The boys at the Regiment still wonder why I’m not in fatigues. Still, the fact remains that I’m much more at home with a bunch of loud and brash Army brats, cops, or bucketheads than I am pretending to be interested in matching curtains, silverware, or matching shoes and handbags whilst passing idle gossip around the office water cooler. I so could not live in the land of Dilbert or Office Space. “Anyone theen my red thtapler??” I even prefer Men's Health to Women's Health magazine... and not just for the pictures! But seriously, Women's Health has 5lb dumbbells and yoga mats... while Men's Health has kettlebells, tractor tires, and Marine Corps challenges. Which do you think is more my style?
I will continue to reach for my goal in becoming a career firefighter, and will not stop until all doors are closed. Then, and not for the purposes of manual or hydraulic ventilation, I will start to open other doors. Maybe some windows, too. I'm not a quitter, but I'd be hard pressed to find a more difficult profession to break into. But at the same time, I need to be realistic. Sure, I certainly don't fit any mold of what you think a firefighter should look like, but I am the sum of many talented parts. I just hope to get a chance to prove it.
TD
