When you were a child? What did you dream about? Every child has a dream of what they want to be when they grow up; my dream was to be a pediatric urologist, a dream that was never realized once I got to college and took my first chemistry class – no way was I going to continue on that road. I never want back to the medical side of things; the dozen or so other majors I went through mostly had to do with politics and law, and I ended up working in Loss Prevention for 5.5 years and as a Paralegal for 5 years.

One of my hobbies has been reading up on parliamentary procedure. Being in sorority, I grew to love Robert’s Rule of Order, bylaws, constitutions, and meetings. Over the years, I have honed my craft and have a very good handle of the different motions, the difference between bylaws and standing rules, and the process behind nominations and elections. About 10 years ago, I thought about becoming a parliamentarian, and taking the National Association of Parliamentarians’ exam to be a Registered Parliamentarian. Well, I never did it. I’ve read the book several times, and have helped several collegiate chapters rework their standing rules and bylaws, served on the sorority’s governing documents committee leading up to Convention in 2016, and worked with my former general counsel and CEO to help meetings run more smoothly.

Well, becoming a parliamentarian is no longer an unfulfilled dream. I am registering for a course through the University of Wisconsin that will prepare me to take the exam. Once I’m registered, I will complete the course and take the exam by the end of 2019, so I can start 2019 as a Registered Parliamentarian. This will allow me to start my own consulting job, and work on my hours and my terms. It will be great to be working in an area that I have a passion for, and keep myself busy while I am staying at home with Little Man.

What dreams have you had? Did you realize those dreams? What is standing between you and achieving your dream? For me, I was what was standing between myself and becoming a parliamentarian – no more!