"Believe that you can and you are halfway there".
-Theodore Roosevelt
Last week I sat in my new leather recliner and started wondering how I could write this blog. As 2013 is almost in the books, I became overwhelmed by emotion for where my life has taken me this past year. Without this blog seeming as a 'tire pumping' publication, I want you all to know that it is because of good people, the grace of God, and the support of family and friends which puts me in a position to write this reflection.
This time last December I was sitting in a restaurant called "The Dragonfly" just outside of Antigonish, NS having a "brunch date" with one of my best buddies. As we talked, I remember looking outside and wondering where my life would take me after University.
As 2013 hit I found myself quickly attending job fairs, handing out resumes like a robot and making huge life decisions on where I should start allocating my time and energy. I knew I wanted to invest heavily in my career, but was unsure of how it would all work. All the while, I was serving as Vice President of our Education Student Society at St.FX University. To top it off, our University went on a 3 week strike 9 weeks before graduation. As an executive, we held together a mature, yet fragmented, student body and I am fortunate to have experienced that adversity with those executive members.
As spring approached the strike faded. One day in late March I was running with one of my clients and it finally hit me; I realized how successful I had become as an established Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor in the Mainland, NS and was very comfortable there. My client (as she always did) urged me to travel and experience different career opportunities. With that, I began planning the process of researching for work opportunities in the health and wellness arena. Would I be a trainer for the next few years? I was not sure...
In April, I was blessed with an opportunity to attend a PE conference in North Carolina with my professor and mentor, Dan Robinson. One day, while at the conference, we went to a Japanese restaurant. He looked and me and said, "You know Ryan, if you want to work here in North Carolina, make it happen now!” I remember leaving that restaurant and decided I would started focusing my energy on a job in NC. I will always be grateful for professor Dan Robinson.
After my high school teaching internship, it was time to graduate. If that wasn’t enough, one week later we found ourselves on the beaches of Cuba. That fun filled week with some of the most fun and outgoing people from our Education Department will never be forgotten. We were young & we were foolish. We soaked in the sun, played acoustic songs on the beach and truly lived in every single moment together. However, on the last day as I was innocently snorkelling around the shallow coral it hit me…..Check your email.
That day, while using the sketchy internet connection, I had received the first of many emails which would have me starting my career in North Carolina. We flew in the next day, drove through the early morning hours and I did the interview during the sunrise. With no sleep and a hoarse voice, I aced the first of many interviews. Indeed miracles do happen! At this point of 2013, I had no idea the adventures and obstacles I would run into over the next 6 months……
Ryan Fahey
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