Important Lessons I Learned As I Pursued My Dream

One day, I realized I was entering a new season of life with our oldest daughter starting college and our youngest only a few years away from graduating from our homeschool high school.

  • I only needed to plan homeschool lessons for one child.
  • I was only directly involved in math lessons and had more free time during the day.
  • The end of our homeschool journey was in sight; I could see the finish line.

I completed all of my coach training classes and really enjoy coaching clients. (Curious about coaching? Click here to learn more.) I had a plan for what I would do when our homeschool journey ended. I was looking forward to growing my coaching business, but something was missing.

I realized that since my coaching classes had concluded, I no longer had a plan for my continuing education and engaging in discussions around what I was learning. Over the past few years, I've realized how important this is to me. Throughout our homeschool journey, I found ways to learn and discuss what I was learning with others. (Charlotte Mason support group, math discussions with friends, etc.)

I started to ponder what my learning could look like in the future. As I did, a long-forgotten dream started to reappear. A few years after graduating from graduate school, I explored the possibility of pursuing a PhD in accounting. Ultimately, I decided that wasn't the right path. In hindsight, that was a good decision, but the desire for a terminal degree reignited.

I started exploring graduate programs and found Instructional Design. It seemed like a good fit because it combined my love of learning, learning how people learn, and teaching. I enrolled in an online master's program and completed three classes. Through these classes, I realized two things.

  1. I don't want to do Instructional Design work.
  2. I don't like completely asynchronous courses.

So, I kept exploring and found a program that might meet my goals of synchronous learning, continued education in the coaching field, and a terminal degree!

I realized three additional things through this process.

  1. There are no mistakes, only learning opportunities. Even though I am not continuing the instructional design degree, I learned important lessons about myself, and it started me on the path to finding a program that is a better fit.
  2. It's okay to pursue a dream even when we don't see the entire picture. I knew I wanted to go back to school, but I wasn't quite sure what the end result or purpose would be. I know why this particular program I am applying to appeals to me and how it will make me a better coach, but I am still not entirely sure what I will do differently once I have the degree.
  3. You are never too old! I certainly had days when I wondered if I was too old to go back to school. I wondered if I wanted to commit to another five years of structured learning. I wondered if I had enough working years remaining to make it worth it. And the answer is, you are never too old!

What dreams and aspirations have been stirring in your heart as you approach the end of your homeschooling journey?

You may not see the entire picture. You may only have a small ember starting to smolder again. That's okay! Every dream starts somewhere.

Similar Posts