Choosing a career path, in my experience, has not been an easy task. I’m one to explore all areas of interest and dabble in anything that catches my attention and holds it long enough to earn a certification or degree. As a recent graduate, with a dual degree in elementary and special education (plus a few other licenses), business was clearly not the route I set out for, but is one that has always been of interest. So when I started at SHIFT (formerly entreQuest), I was excited to be joining such a remarkable team and, frankly, thrilled to have an out of teaching. Yet, without completely ruling out the possibility of a career in education, I embarked on my new position as Project Specialist at SHIFT.
Two weeks on-board, the calls offering interviews for teaching positions began rolling in. I began to feel the weight of the decision I was facing: join the business world—after only a small taste—or stick with the safety of what I know and what I worked towards for three years. I began talking to family members and friends, seeking advice and insight from those who know me well. What I found was infinite support and more of what I wanted to hear versus what I needed to hear. So, I decided to seek out the advice of an unbiased party. Misti Aaronson, Executive Vice President and Partner at SHIFT, provided just that.
After an open and honest conversation about my professional past, present, and future, Misti described an exercise we implement at SHIFT called, 25 Reasons Why. It’s a decision-making tool designed to help identify and understand what matters most to you and decipher why you—or, in this case, I—do what I do. Listing 25 reasons why something is important to you or why it holds value provides perspective and an opportunity to reflect on the things in your life and career that are most motivating and influential. Once the list is complete, it’s then time to scrutinize your responses and check off your top five reasons. Then, of your top five, circle the one that matters the most. This is the reason for doing what you do.
Misti explained that happiness comes from within and that no one, myself included, can look for happiness in a job (or anything else, for that matter). As such, she expressed that it would be both helpful and beneficial to generate two lists of 25 Reasons Why, one for business and one for teaching. She explained that, in the end, my reflection and my heart would help drive my decision. One list was significantly easier to generate than the other; even so, I took away four very important things from this decision-making tool:
1. Dig deep and don’t hold back: Really think about yourself, about your life—intellectually, emotionally, socially, financially. What makes you tick? What’s going to make you jump out of bed five days a week with a smile on your face and a light heart? What is it about what you do that makes you excited to talk about, even brag about, to friends, family and people you meet?
2. Reasons can be both superficial and analytical: You may harshly judge yourself for some of your answers—for example, #2 on my list of 25 Reasons Why: teaching, was “snow days and 2-hour delays”—but, bear in mind that the list is for your eyes and thoughts only and you must be honest with yourself. On the upside, you’ll feel really good about most of your responses; after all, this is what you do! Whatever you write down, as long as you’re being forthcoming, is going to trigger great reflection and provide some seriously impactful perspective.
3. Listen to your heart (no, I’m not intentionally quoting Roxette): This isn’t meant to be impossible or even extremely difficult, but it’s also not a walk in the park. You’re going to get to #9, stare down and scratch your head. Suddenly, you’ll have an ah-ha moment, write down two more reasons, then sit back and scratch your head, again. It’s a viscous cycle, I tell you, but well worth the time! This is not something that you should over think. The goal is to get to 25, then reflect on all the things driving your why. After the first few responses you’ll feel yourself open up and really begin to let your thoughts and your heart take over. Let it. This is not a task to prepare you for a job interview or a board meeting. It’s introspective.
4. Be fearless: Make your move without hesitation. After generating your 25 Reasons Why and reflecting on your responses, you're going to feel something visceral - may like a change is needed, perhaps like everything is as it needs to be. Regardless, you're going to be hyper aware of what it is that you need to do to ensure that you're living out the things that matter most to you.
In the end, although my head and heart had already decided, I now had my answer written down in front of me; it was tangible. It was supported by my own reasoning and emotions. 25 Reasons Why allowed me to recognize not only what I want to do but also why I want to do it. Teaching is unarguably an admirable profession, but my heart lies in the world of business.
Tara Fox is Business and Brand Manager at SHIFT and oversees the activities of the organization to ensure all we do as a team is aligned with our vision, values, and goals.
