WHAT'S NEW AND IMPROVED?

After being MIA with my blog for nearly four months, I couldn't think of a better title for this entry than the greeting I like to give friends, family, and cool associates, "What's new and improved." Of course I didn't invent the term "new and improved," however, I do believe I'm the originator of putting the different twist on it and making it a question. I created the line so people wouldn't be able to just give a standard and typical answer, like they usually do the the How's it going? or How are you? questions.

I hope a number of things are new and improved with you and yours because a whole lot is new and improved with me. First, I'm feeling more free and relaxed than I have in ages and I'm more positive about my future than I have been in a very long time. Why? Because I took a bold, many may say crazy, step to maintain my peace of mind, as well as my professional dignity. Initially, the step I took was to deal with the immediate need to address a situation that I saw as lose-lose. Yet within two days of making the decision, I discovered that it was the very best thing I could have done. This decision revealed my true passion to me. It also made me take a hard look at what I was trading my life for. I am, and will always be, grateful for the opportunity to be a dean, yet I had to come to the realization that that's not what I think God put me on this earth to do.

Have I built any suspense, yet? Okay, you've waited long enough. The major decsion I made was to resign from the position of Associate Dean that I accepted and described in my last blog entry, in late April of this year. As I stated earlier, it wasn't planned, but it was a decsion that I made on my own and with a few weeks having gone by, I have absolutely no doubt it was the very best decision for me, my professional pursuits, and most of all, my happiness and well-being.

But Michael, what will you do for money? Yeah, that's the other side of the decision that I must take responsibility for. I have been a certified online professor since June and I will be able to continue to teach for the upcoming fall term. Teaching is my true passion and now I get to pursue it, full force. After teaching high school, Adult Ed/ESL and a college course, I couldn't quite determine how much I wanted teaching to be a part of my career. With this new experience of teaching online, I have no doubt that it's what I'm supposed to do.

But wait ... there's still some more exciting news. Being that I can teach my online classes from home. I am now able to work my iLearning Global www.ILearningGlobal.biz/maximo3 as a true business, giving it the time, commitment, and professional respect it deserves. My belief in iLG has only grown stronger since I joined as a charter member back in November of '08. The thing is, I loved the continuous learning provided so much, I was just devouring it, myself. Now, I can share it with those who see it for what it is, the best and least expensive way to teach yourself what you need to know to be the most successful person you can be. As Jim Rohn said, "A formal education can get you a job. Self-education can get you a fortune." Please don't misunderstand me. I'm extremely proud of my journalism degree and I'm also proud of the MBA I earned. I come from a family of educators that dates back four generations. But I also know the difference between working for a living and living for your work.

Yes, these are very unstable economic times. As true as that may be, opportunities are all around us. Just look in a newspaper, magazine, or on t.v. There are people, groups, and companies that are thriving, right now. And why is that? It's because they are providing a product or service that people want because they have a burning passion for what they do, and because they have an unwavering certainty that they will succeed.

This is one of the most exciting times in my life. I hope that it's the same for you.