Like a 5-Year Old Riding a Bike!

During my next job interview, when asked what I want to do with my life, I am tempted to tell the interviewer “To live my my life like a five year-old riding a bicycle!” If the interviewer doesn’t throw me out of his or her office, I’ll go on to explain …

I took a break from mowing the lawn today and sat on the front porch, enjoying the cool weather. I heard the garage door open at the house next door and saw my neighbor’s son, a boy of about five years of age, ride out of the garage on his bicycle. With helmet securely placed on his head, the boy began pedaling up our street. Now this is not an easy task. Our street has a steep incline. Our house is second from the top of the hill. As I watched the neighbor boy pedal, I saw how his pedaling slowed down the higher he got to the top of the hill. I wondered if he would make it or not as I saw him standing on the pedals, pushing as hard as he could, one agonizing rotation after another. He didn’t give up.

I lost sight of the boy for a moment behind the trees and thought he may had gone on to the park or to some other adventure. Then, I heard a loud “Wheeee!” sound as he flew by our house, gliding on his bike at break-neck speed … all the way to the bottom of the long street. He was having a blast. That’s when I discovered the kind of job I wanted.

Like the five year-old, I like to have fun at what I am doing. I don’t mind hard work and am willing to push hard to reach a goal. But the main thing I want is joy in what I am doing. That may not bode well for an interview, but it is the truth.

At 50 years of age I think of the great blessings our family has enjoyed; the money, the benefits, the great memories. A lot of those blessings were earned by hard work and sacrifice. That didn’t matter, because the rewards and blessings far outnumbered the effort required to “afford” such things.

As I celebrate the end to a successful 28-year career I know what type of job I want next. I want to use my spiritual knowledge, my business experience and my aptitude for training and development to work at a job where I can feel like a five year-old: willing to work hard for a cause, eager to do my part to further a mission, and looking forward to recognition and reward for my contributions.

I hope I find that job soon. When I do, expect to hear me yelling “Wheeee!”