Elevator Speech

If you had 30-90 seconds to describe yourself (give an elevator speech), how would you sum up who you are?

I always had a hard time with this. Being short and sweet. Being brief. Cutting to the chase. The other problem I have is deciding what to talk about. Which aspect of my life do I pitch in this theoretical elevator? Do I pitch Professional Chaz? Creative Chaz? Fun Chaz? There's no way I could give a ninety second speech on all three. There's NO way.

The key is to just talk about the important bits. The bullet points. What do I need people to get from this elevator ride? Do I want people to walk away thinking to themselves "That Chaz guy is a teacher at a local community college" or "It's so interesting that Chaz went to film school, but is now thinking about getting his PhD" or "I really need to find Chaz's blog-- It sounds super interesting!" Those would be the bullet points. But is that what I want someone to take away from an elevator ride with me? Possibly. Maybe. There's got to be more.

There has to be more.

I've been a teacher for over five years, but I took the long way around to get where I am. And my journey's not over yet! I was a security guard, I was a barista, I was Clifford the Big Red Dog. But someday soon I hope to be Dr. Chaz. I love teaching people who need to be taught. People who want to learn. So I want to go on to become a teacher of future teachers. I'm a proud, sarcastic Western New Yorker who has wanted to leave home since he got here. Four seasons are over rated. I want the sun and the warmth and the sand between my toes. I want to find the next party. I want to be more. I want to do more.

Was that ninety seconds? Was that interesting? If you were in an elevator with me would you think I was funny or intriguing or insane? There's a fine line between crazy and fascinating. And I'm afraid I may balance that line too well.