Kristen,
Thank you so much for your response! Yes, this has been so validating! I have a job in which I help people all day, and to be quite honest I’ve been feeling like I must be a terrible person for not being more fulfilled by that. I already feel better about my current work situation just by getting rid of some of that guilt!
You are definitely right about me loving to be constantly learning – I was already planning my continuing education moves even before I had my PT license in my hands. 😉 Currently I’m thinking about taking some writing classes (I wanted to be a writer as a kid!) with the eventual goal of writing about health/health care, as well as looking into helping out at a local PT school since I was a tutor during school and LOVED it. Your idea about a virtual program would be AWESOME if I could figure out the logistics of it! And of course I have a ton of other vague ideas for the future, but I’m trying not to get distracted by TOO many shiny objects at once…
I imagine that once I find a balance of activities that fit me better, I’ll actually have MORE energy for all the music, dance, and artsy things I love to do on the side (and then I can figure out if I want to try to earn money with any of those, or if doing so would ruin things for my secondary Thriver).
Anyway, those are my current thoughts. There have definitely been ups and downs throughout this whole process, but your course has helped me to at least understand myself better and narrow down my options, which has made everything feel way more manageable. One of the most important things I’ve had to learn is to pace myself and say “no” to some opportunities in order to conserve energy for bigger priorities. Frustrating, sure, but (mostly) doable.
Thank you again for all the wisdom!