Change is hard. It seems that every where in my life, change is a difficult path. You hear the phrase all the time, “Nobody likes change.” We get comfortable in our daily routines and the ways we run our lives. This seems to bring a feeling of calm, knowing what to accomplish and what to expect. Anyone with a crazy family life knows the importance of structure for young ones and similarly, organization and structure provides the chill approach to managing the chaos of a busy family schedule.
I also see it at my job, teaching. The building where I work hasn’t changed much in 20+ years I’ve been there. We still have the same boring meetings, run the same boring way. Literally! It’s crazy and I can’t understand why. I guess because it’s easy. It takes hard work to affect change, which is what education desperately needs. Teachers see it, but nothing ever seems to change. I believe that if teachers had a seat at the table, the public education system would change for the better. However, that doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon, so I’m getting out.
I am at a place in my life where I’m ready for change; I have to. Teaching used to feed my soul, now it seems to drain it. So, my mindset must change as well. As I have started on this GFW venture, I am becoming more energized and engaged with what I am doing. I think through the years, I have gotten comfortable in my job, my relationships, and my responsibilities. It seems I have lost the mindset of adventure and exploration…the one thing that brought me across the country at age 17 to what has become my home.
This adventurous mindset is what brings opportunity. And when I nurture it, it also brings the most incredible experiences. Especially with fishing. I’m not one of those guys who likes to stand in a tailwater section, right below the dam and fish elbow to elbow with others, hoping for the BIG fish. I’m more simple; I’d rather hike a stream and find beautiful places that seem like I’m the first to ever be there.
My best days of fishing are the ones where I am adventurous and willing to explore. It also seems like my best days in life are when I embrace a mindset of adventure and exploration, when I can open my mind to the possibilities of something better, when fear is present, but seemingly something I can overcome. When I do that, life seems richer.
I have been successful in my career of teaching; leaving teaching, something I am comfortable with, is scary. However, it is necessary for my continued growth. My continued success will depend on my ability to maintain a mindset of adventure and exploration. Because when I do, good things happen.
My task is to find things that feed my curiosity, require my thirst for learning, challenge me to step outside what is comfortable, and engage my desire for adventure. My life, love and investment in fishing certainly brings a new revived energy to my world!