Leaving the Classroom: A Transitioning Teacher Podcast

Leaving the Classroom Podcast: 5 Steps to Run Through a Goal | 57

In this episode, Kristi Oliva discusses the concept of "running through a goal, not to a goal" and how it can be applied to career transitions, particularly for teachers looking to leave the classroom.

Tune in to find out:

• The importance of not just reaching a goal, but using it as a springboard for continuous growth and evolution
  
  
• Practical steps for adopting a "running through a goal" mindset, including defining a long-term vision, setting incremental goals, and continuously developing skills
  
  
• How building a supportive network and embracing challenges can help in transforming a career transition into a journey of continuous growth and fulfillment

 Listen to the episode here:

Connect with Kristi on LinkedIn

This podcast is sponsored by IDOL Courses and is the only authorized vocational school and implementation program of its kind that not only shows you exactly how to create your job application assets and build a portfolio from scratch but also includes credentials, mentorship, expert coaching, and paid experience opportunities in corporate instructional design and online learning for life! Learn more about the program here. 

Enjoy the podcast transcription:

Kristi Oliva  

Welcome to Leaving the Classroom. This is a podcast for teachers who are ready to transition out of the classroom and into a new career. Each week, I'll share stories about what I've learned moving from education to the corporate world. I'll answer the most common questions and share my best tips to help you get started. If you are considering leaving the classroom, this show is for you. 

Kristi Oliva  

Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of Leaving the Classroom. I'm Kristi Oliva, and today I want to dive into a quote that really resonated with me recently. It's from Luke Tice, and it says, "Run through a goal, not to a goal". And honestly, this quote hit me pretty hard when I first heard it. So let me say it again, "Run through a goal, not to a goal". And if we think about that for a second. I really want to ask you, how often do we set goals and then just focus on getting to that point? We see the finish line, and all our energy is spent reaching it. But what happens after? What if we're meant to go beyond? And really we should be. When I was a transitioning teacher, my goal was to find a role I was happy with outside of education. I poured everything into that, aiming to get to that point. And don't get me wrong, it's a great goal, but once I got there, once I got out of teaching, I realized something was missing. I was running to a goal, not through the goal.

So, running through a goal means not just reaching it, but surpassing it, looking beyond it, and using it as a springboard to even greater things. It's about momentum. When you run through a goal, you don't stop. You keep moving, growing, evolving, learning, and for many of us, the goal is, or was, to find a new job, something that pays better, offers more balance, that just hits more check boxes than teaching. But what if we looked at it differently? Instead of just aiming to land that next job, what if we thought about what comes after? How does this new job fit into the bigger picture of our lives and careers? When I decided to leave teaching, my goal was to become an instructional designer. I worked hard to get there, and when I did, it was great, but I didn't stop there. I ran through that goal, asking myself, what's next? How can I build on this? What do I want for myself? And that's how I ended up in program management and, eventually, as a career transition coach with this podcast, helping other teachers transition out of teaching as well. So, I want you to think about your own goals. Are you aiming to get to a certain point, or have you thought about using that achievement as a launch pad for even more growth? More, more, more, more. Running through a goal means continuously pushing yourself, always looking for the next challenge, the next opportunity. Here's another way to look at it. So, imagine you're running a marathon. I've run a marathon. You don't have to have run a marathon for this, but if your goal is to just reach the finish line of a marathon, you might collapse in exhaustion the moment you get there. Honestly, I had that experience in every marathon. For some reason, the very end was the hardest. And sometimes I like walked at the end because reaching the end, when that was my goal, once I got close to it, I just was starting to collapse. But if you train, if I had trained with the mindset of running through the finish line, you're building the stamina to keep going to run another race and to be able to stand at the end of reaching that goal. In our careers and our lives. We need to adopt that same mentality. Don't just aim for the finish line and then not know what your next spot is. Let's train ourselves to run through it and always set the next goal.

This mindset shift can really make a huge difference in how we approach leaving the classroom. It can keep you from feeling stuck or complacent, and it can push you to keep growing and evolving through your goals. So, for those of you considering leaving the classroom, think about what running through your goal looks like. It might mean continuing to develop new skills even after you land that new job. It might mean setting new, higher goals once you've achieved your initial ones. It's about keeping that forward momentum. And for those who are still in the classroom, think about how you can apply this mindset. Maybe it's about finding new ways to engage your students, taking on leadership roles, or advocating for changes in your school. It's not about settling for just reaching your goals but using them as stepping stones to even greater achievements. So, let's all take a page from Luke Tice's book. Let's go back to that quote at the beginning. "Run through a goal, not to a goal," because that's how we truly achieve greatness in our careers, in our lives, in ourselves. So, let's take a moment. I've got five steps for you to explore practical ways you can apply this mindset to your career transition. 

Step one, define your long-term vision. So, start by envisioning your ultimate career destination, not just how to get out of the classroom. But what do you want that to look like long-term? What does your dream job look like? What kind of impact do you want to make in your new role? What's the purpose? By defining your long-term vision, you create a clear path that goes beyond this immediate goal of leaving the classroom and sets a trajectory for you. For instance, if your goal is to become a project manager, think about what comes after that. Do you want to lead larger teams? Manage more complex projects, start your own consultancy? Lots of options, but having a vision helps you stay focused and motivated even after reaching that first goal. 

Step two, set incremental goals. Break down your long-term vision into smaller, manageable goals. This can make the journey less overwhelming. Each smaller victory builds momentum and gives you these quick wins that can help you keep moving forward. Celebrate these achievements as they come. Reward yourself, use them as stepping stones towards your ultimate career aspirations. So, for example, if your long-term vision is to become a sought-after speaker in your field, your smaller goals could include improving your public speaking skills, presenting at local events, and eventually speaking at national conferences. 

Step three, continuously develop your skills. Never stop learning. Continuously develop your skills. This is such a key to running through your goals. So, you need to know yourself. Identify the skills that will be valuable in your desired field and seek opportunities to learn and grow in those skills. This could involve taking online courses, attending workshops, or seeking mentorship from other experienced professionals. For example, if you're transitioning into tech, keep up with the latest trends and technologies by taking new courses, participating in coding boot camps, or joining tech meetups. 

Step four, build a support network. Surround yourself with people who support your vision and can provide valuable insights and encouragement. Join professional networks, connect with mentors, engage with communities that are related to your new career path. A strong support network can help you navigate challenges and definitely stay motivated. So, for instance, if you're moving into instructional design, connect with other instructional designers through LinkedIn groups, attend industry conferences, and seek out a mentor. 

Step five, embrace challenges and learn from them. Every goal that is worth achieving will have challenges. The key is, embrace these challenges as opportunities for growth. Learn from your experiences, adapt, keep moving forward. Resilience is a critical component of running through your goals. For example, if you encounter a setback in your job search, take it as a learning opportunity. Analyze what went wrong, seek feedback, and adjust your approach. Each setback brings you one step closer to success. 

Now, let's go back through those steps again. Step one, define your long-term vision. Step two, set incremental goals. Step three, continuously develop your skills. Step four, build a supportive network. And step five, embrace challenges and learn from them. Listen, running through your goals rather than to them means constantly striving for more, always looking beyond the immediate horizon. It's about seeing each achievement as a milestone and not an end point. Adopt this mindset so that you can transform your career transition into a journey of continuous growth and fulfillment and not just a one-step goal.

Kristi Oliva  

I hope that you are feeling inspired to think differently about your goals and how you approach them and remember, we're all in this together. There's always more we can achieve. Please share this episode with anyone that you think might benefit. That's all for this time. It's time to make the career change that can change your life. It changed mine. See you next time. That's all for this episode, but you can find more at idolcourses.com or subscribe to the podcast. And if you are ready to leave the classroom, use my code classroom100 and get $100 off enrollment to IDOL courses Academy.

Send your stories or questions to [email protected] or share them with me on Instagram @leavingtheclassroom.