I’m a 39 yr old wife and mother of two. I am a Christian and I feel well established in my neighborhood, church, and office. I’m very happy in my marriage and family. The crucial things in my life are good: family, friends, faith. Yet this weekend I had to make a very important and difficult decision: What do I want to be when I “grow-up”?
Who would have thought that at the age of 39, with a daughter in high-school and a son in 2nd grade, I’d be making such a decision. Should I have already done that? In a few months I’ll be *****GASP***** 40!!! I should already know who I am and what I’m going to be, shouldn’t I?????
Well, I’ve found that the answer to that is, Yes and No. Yes, I know I want to be a great wife to my fabulous husband. Yes, I know I want to be the best mom I can be for my kids. Yes, I know that I want to put my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and follow Him as best I humanly can. BUT—- No, I don’t know where I want to be professionally. And that is the decision that was suddenly and unexpectedly placed before me this weekend. Where do I want to be professionally in 2, 3, 5 years?
Quite frankly, in my ideal world, I’d be a stay-at-home mom still. But that was never to be for me. Even during the time I was able to stay home, I knew it was not to last. I’m very grateful for those years, but I’m also looking forward to what I can accomplish professionally. Eventually, the kids will be gone and then, what will I be doing?
My choice was this: stay with the company I’ve been with for 3 years, go to a full time schedule, and get licensed as a financial advisor OR take a new full time job and go back to school to get my bachelor’s degree. Both opportunities have their pro’s/con’s. Both are appealing in their own right.
Being a financial advisor would allow me to build my own business and make it my own. It would allow for an opportunity to work from home, have a great income, and be my own boss.
Getting my degree would allow me to find my own field and complete something that I was not able to complete that I have always wished I had. It would give me the chance to do whatever I wanted to do. That may or may not be my own business, who knows.
What is comes down to is this, do I want to be a financial advisor? If not, then I have to take the other opportunity and explore my degree options. If so, then I have to stay where I am, which is a very comfortable place to be.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I don’t want to be a financial advisor. I love the potential for income and the potential of running my own business, but this isn’t the type of business for me. I’m not a numbers person. I’m not interested in exploring tax options to minimize capital gains. I don’t enjoy following the markets or reading financial articles. I’m sure I can do it, but I don’t think want to.
I made the very difficult decision to move away from a “known” opportunity and go for what I think better meets my personality and interests. I moved away from a very real chance at increased income in the next 5 years, to the “possibility” of increased income. This was not an easy choice!
I believe life is about much more than numbers. I believe God gives us opportunities for a reason. I believe in my God given ability to learn and grow. I’m banking on my faith that the Lord is leading me to new opportunities and I’m moving forward.
I’m scared, I’m excited, I’m nervous. But I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. All I have to do is lean on Him! He’s really teaching me how to do that!