Hey there- I’m Michelle Beers, and this introductory post gives you a little insight to how I got here, and encourages you to go ahead and take a chance on yourself! After spending my entire adult life in the education field, I shifted gears and became a freelance writer. My only regret is not taking the leap sooner…
I’m notoriously afraid of change, and prefer to take the safe route. I also notoriously have made some of the most amazing and transformative changes in my life on a whim. What can I say, I’m a Libra- gotta keep it balanced right?
When you’re young, the world is your oyster…
When I was about 9 years old, I was a tiny figure skater with dreams of becoming the next Kristi Yamaguchi or Tara Lipinski- Am I aging myself? I have a vivid memory of skating around the rink and dreaming of the future me- What would I do with myself after all that Olympic glory– I wanted to be a Veterinarian, a Writer, and Teacher. All three…Simultaneously. I tend to dream big first and then act rationally after…
As I got older, I realized I couldn’t be a vet because I don’t think you’re allowed to sob uncontrollably around sick or injured animals and that sensitivity hasn’t been outgrown in my adulthood… last year, my cat ( who basically just tolerates me and yells at me from upstairs to feed her) got very sick with a kidney infection, and I was a basketcase- She’s totally fine, but I am still traumatized.
So my whole adult life I lived this juxtaposition of playing it safe and then making a huge leap of faith out of nowhere… I did end up becoming a teacher and was working on building towards a leadership position and then decided to follow my boyfriend 3,000 miles across the country to Savannah Ga. We had been together several years and sort of went back and forth on the marriage discussion – He worked in Canada for a long time and they have the common-law thing DOWN and it wasn’t a big deal. Then when we did decide to get hitched after months and months of conversation, he proposed and we just jumped and got married in our living room two weeks later. Same thing with having kids… I will spare you the details of our late night chats, but I wasn’t sure I was even meant to be a mom- Spoiler alert, I totally am.
Throw caution to the wind– Even though we’re conditioned to remind caution to bring a jacket…
And that leads us to this past school year. Before COVID, before the craziness that was classroom instruction to distance learning on a 48 hour turnaround, I already knew this was going to be my last year teaching.
My son is 6 and I was feeling like he was growing up while I was spending most of my time and energy loving other people’s children. By the time I got home at night, I was toast. I realized- I can always come back to teaching down the road, but I get ONE shot and my son’s childhood and I refuse to miss it.
But I had the same issue many teachers have. On the surface I felt unqualified for a different career because all I have ever done as an actual grown up is work toward teaching, or teaching. . And I need an income. So I responsibly and rationally started building and planning my exit strategy, thinking I was going to continue to substitute teach, while doing some online teaching, and possibly tutoring. ALL education related, and all within my wheelhouse. Safe. Responsible. Perfectly acceptable and reasonable choices. You know what? SCREW THE SAFE CHOICE!
At 37, I finally found what I want to be when I grow up…
While I am a pretty good teacher, I am a great writer! It falls out of me. Inspiration is all over the place- just like my mind sometimes. And I LOVE it! It fills me with purpose and I can also live the rest of my life on my terms. I have zero regrets for any of the times in my life that I have decided to take a leap of faith. And I can’t wait to build my life on my terms, doing something I am great at and something that allows me to be here with my kid… While he is still a kid… and while I am still capable of chasing him on wild 6 year old adventures.
I’ve already built a great network and am finding myself sharing what I am learning with other writers. I will share some of those tips in the future, but for now let me leave you with this:
“Playing it safe is the riskiest choice we can ever make” Sarah-Ban Breathnach
– If you are wondering whether to take a leap in your life- I urge you to JUMP! I am so glad I did. Even if I land on my face, this leap has awakened something in me that I haven’t felt since I was a tiny ice skater anticipating a world of possibilities! And I can’t wait to see where this path leads me.
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