A good teacher goes a long way…

Friday night I took the Riverside Moonlight History & Mystery Tour at Denver's oldest operating cemetery. Very interesting – not spooky, just historically interesting. The tour guide took us around the old paths, warned us not to trip on the stones, and told stories about Denver's colorful historical figures – a bank robber in an unmarked grave (1,000 people came to his funeral); a prostitute murdered by a Jack the Ripper copycat; Augusta Tabor, who ended up rich while her ex-husband and Baby Doe did not. The tour took about an hour and a half but felt like maybe 15 minutes – I lost track of time while immersed in the stories and the place.

I majored in history in college. I hated history – until 11th grade, that is, when Mr. Dickman leaned back in his chair and began to tell stories, really interesting stories, not "Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, blah de blah." I learned that year that the same subject I'd deemed "most boring ever" was actually one of my favorites. I could get lost in those stories, too, and I learned how fascinating people really are, then and now. If it weren't for Mr. Dickman, would I have even been interested in the cemetery tour all these years later?

It's clear that one teacher can change the course of our lives, or can at least make us see something in a totally new way. It's helpful in career development to think about who your influential teachers have been, even as far back as high school. It's equally beneficial to consider the subjects you loved back then, even if you've long since abandoned them for more "practical" things (no, I mean especially if you've abandoned them). What lessons from these teachers and subjects can you look back on to inform your present and future life?

What did you used to love? Who influenced you in positive ways that you may have forgotten all about? Is there anything you can find in the answers to these questions that might help guide you toward your next pursuit?

How am I "using" history? Most of all, I still love stories. I listen to my clients' stories and synthesize what they tell me into the collaborative idea-generating process and into helping them see new perspectives on their situations. I listen to people's stories outside of work – at coffee houses, in folk music, at the movies, in novels…stories are everywhere. And before I became a counselor, I conducted personal history interviews, taught middle school history, and wrote lesson plans for other teachers' history classes. So the thread continues to weave through my life.

More to the point, how might you weave the thread into your life? How might you "use" the subjects you love? Is there a potential career connection, or might you incorporate those subjects into your life regardless of what you get paid to do? Do any of these subjects get you to lose track of time, to be in the flow of your experience? By considering these questions, you can very possibly see what needs more attention in your life, either on a grand scale (new career) or in a more subtle way (reading a historical novel, subscribing to National Geographic, taking a French class, etc.).