Day 1…

Well, here I am.  I find myself at a crossroads.  I’m 58 and have been a pastor for over 34 years and find myself having to relive what it was like when I graduated from college.  Just a little over a year ago my world was rocked by a simple exercise in getting a vision for the next 10 years of my life.  As I looked ahead, I took stock of quite a few things.  I looked at my career, my relationships and my values.  I found myself wondering if the Peter Principle(getting promoted to a place where you go from excelling to ineffectiveness) had overtaken me and I didn’t even know it.  I was angsty and frustrated, but couldn’t find the words to express it.  I’m feeling this journey internally, but seeing it play out in all parts of my life.  I feel like I let people down, but I don’t want to live with the unfair obligation that I can please everyone.  I’ve been loyal(been at my church for 29 years!), but when I think about what’s next, that loyalty doesn’t seem to count for much.  I’m missing my grandkids(they moved to Arizona from Oregon a couple years ago) and know my wife and I are heading that direction soon, which is prompting this career change.  I think my greatest fear is that I won’t find that next career or that I’ll have to settle instead of step into something I am positively anticipating.

Enter Talent Stackers.  Listening to the podcast and investigating the career development program have been such a great motivation for me.  The many resources and wise guidance have me finding more hope than when I started this journey a few months ago.  I’m strangely excited and anxious for what this new opportunity will bring.  Right now I’m working on a Salesforce admin certification and truly loving it.  It’s challenging and full of problem solving and new learnings.  But, to take my new learnings into a new job will require things that are outside of my comfort zone, which is why I decided to write this post.  I’ve been challenged by the Talent Stackers team that I need to be more active on social media while doing my cert training so this is a way for me to chronicle my journey.  So, here’s day 1 and I hope what I’m learning will encourage others along the way!