Sunday, September 4, 2011

I Wanna Be Like Mike ... Well, sort of

No. I'm not athletic. Not in the least little bit. But I can relate ... in a very small way ... with Michael Jordan.

I wouldn't call myself a superstar - the elite of the elite like Michael was in his career. But I will say that in my teaching career, I was on top of my game. I was good at what I did and was cruising along at a nice altitude. Don't get me wrong, I still tried to find ways to improve. Was never totally satisfied with how I was doing. My motto: I was only as good a teacher as my lowest performing student. In other words, no matter how well I was doing, I knew there was so much more I still needed to do.

Enter Mike. Three consecutive championships. World recognition. Iconic celebrity status. He had it all. So what did he do? He walked away from that game he so identified with and took up something completely different: baseball. He followed his heart and pursued his dream of becoming a baseball player.

I too had a dream. And, due to circumstances beyond my control - beyond the control of many to be totally honest - I wasn't living it. I'm passionate about learning and creativity and education and children. I had a choice. I could stay where I was comfortable ... continuing cruising and being "on my game". Or I could take a risk. Step away from the familiar and pursue my passion.

This is where Mike and I connect. My journey took me to unfamiliar territory. I'm still teaching - similar to Mike still being an athlete. But out of my comfort zone. There are moments when I feel confident and others where I feel lost. One minute I'm soaring high - the next I'm plummeting into the abyss. I've got it all together and I'm falling apart at the seams. And I'm so HAPPY.

It took guts for Michael Jordan to put himself out there like he did. I'm not going to debate his motives; I'm simply admiring what he dared to do. And, now, I can say I followed in his footsteps just a bit.

Things are going better now. And I'm growing in ways I would have never imagined. But, had I not stepped out on that leap of faith, if I hadn't been willing to fail, if I hadn't tried to "be like Mike", I may have never gotten to this point. I urge you to do push yourself, to dare to dream, to dare to grow. In essence: to be like Mike.