I had been waiting so long for an answer to what happens next for us with our careers that I was shocked when it arrived. The last three weeks since my husband went back to work in an office have been trippy for all of us. We've have to adjust from two of us at home worrying about who would get a paying opportunity first and where it would come from. Now we know and knowing is half the battle.
The other half of the battle, where I re-balance my life, has been taking most of my energy since Bill went back to an office. It has been over a decade since he worked outside our home and I really didn't see this coming in the script. The good news for me is that now I get to explore what's next for me with a little more clarity. With both of us out of work, it has been a true test of our faith with the plans we had for ourselves. We weren't sure were the solution would come from, we only knew that we had to hang on long enough to get ourselves there. After a year of neither of us bringing in much income, we were just about at the point of no return when the solution arrived. YAY!
Faith is a part of career changing - faith in a higher purpose, faith that it will all work out, faith in yourself. For me, this journey has been a test of my faith and now I feel content that things are going along as they should be. I was feeling pretty out of whack there, but I knew it would make sense eventually. Once we got a piece of the puzzle established- one of us employed- we were able to see how the whole picture is evolving. Now I feel like I'm connected with my higher purpose again which feels awesome. Amazing what happens when you pay attention.
With a sense that we can pay some of our bills, I can now analyze what I need to do next. Interestingly, I've come to understand that I don't need my job to have the meaning that it once did. In the past, working in non-profits has allowed me to feel good about my career and that's helped me feel good about my life. Now my life is multi-textured with family and community connections that bring meaning into my world. My career needed to do that in the past and now it doesn't. Interesting. Now I'm interesting in talking and writing and hopefully earning a giant pile of money so I can support my family in Los Angeles now that my husband has a non-profit job full of meaning. I feel focused and like I'm in the right place for me. Whew.
While I'm finding it hard to adjust to the new paradigm, I'm also feeling extremely happy about where I'm at these days. I feel like I'm using my natural born gifts for good and doing important work in a different way now. I feel connected to my own purpose and ready to just get the job done. YAY!
I'll post more soon about some exciting projects brewing in my world. For today, I wanted to share about keeping the faith - whatever that means to you- during hard times. Tests of faith help up prove to ourselves that we're on the right path. That we are not crazy ( or it doesn't matter) and that our plans are going to work out. These tests suck about as much as tests in school did, but they help us assess where we are. And just like a smily face and "perfecto" on a spelling test can make a seven year old beam with pride, so too can we feel pride in accomplishing our goals and making it through the rough, testy times. Hopefully all this testing leads to becoming more knowledgeable, wiser creatures.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Leaping Leaps of Faith
Once upon a time, my husband and I decided that the office life was killing me slowly and I needed to come home and "find myself" and my path. His career looked stable and I had contracts lined up to consult. Then the world changed.
From 2006 when I quit my steady job with the student assistants and the office and the door, things started to get funky in the economy. But I had taken a leap of faith. Things got leapy very quickly.
I guess with leaps of faith part of the gig is that you don't know where you are headed, you just have to trust that the direction will lead you where you need to go. That's much easier to say than do, as the last few years of my life can illustrate. Going a year without income from either Bill or myself was a huge test of our character and convictions. We learned a lot about the system and what happens when you are suddenly out of your tax bracket. We learned a lot about people in our lives- those who rose to the occasion and stuck it out with us and those who pulled away because it was too hard to witness the painful parts.
When I left my job at CSU Northridge coordinating student volunteers in non profits, I thought I would be a non profit consultant next in my life. My plan was to develop myself as a resource for organizations and as a grant writer. Three years later, my husband is hired as a grant writer. He's getting more calls for video game projects too. His career is back on track to be consistent and allow me to explore my own career path in 2010 as a mother of three with transportation issues.
My husband's non profit salary is not enough to allow me to completely slack off as I search for myself. But the benefits will help calm me down a lot. He has not had a consistent job in a long time. The stability of it is intoxicating to me. MMMMM....... Smells like the ability to plan ahead a little. YAY!
As for me, I'm still leaping along. My plan now is to keep talking and writing till someone pays to shut me up. I'm looking for paying work I can do from home that allows me to stay true to my ham and not compromise my own values. I'm also looking ahead at my youngest starting school next year with his sisters. That means I can make different choices then. YAY! And now I can plan for my path and see what happens.
Leaping along....... Bill starts his new job today and I start my quest for new life patterns.
Nikki
From 2006 when I quit my steady job with the student assistants and the office and the door, things started to get funky in the economy. But I had taken a leap of faith. Things got leapy very quickly.
I guess with leaps of faith part of the gig is that you don't know where you are headed, you just have to trust that the direction will lead you where you need to go. That's much easier to say than do, as the last few years of my life can illustrate. Going a year without income from either Bill or myself was a huge test of our character and convictions. We learned a lot about the system and what happens when you are suddenly out of your tax bracket. We learned a lot about people in our lives- those who rose to the occasion and stuck it out with us and those who pulled away because it was too hard to witness the painful parts.
When I left my job at CSU Northridge coordinating student volunteers in non profits, I thought I would be a non profit consultant next in my life. My plan was to develop myself as a resource for organizations and as a grant writer. Three years later, my husband is hired as a grant writer. He's getting more calls for video game projects too. His career is back on track to be consistent and allow me to explore my own career path in 2010 as a mother of three with transportation issues.
My husband's non profit salary is not enough to allow me to completely slack off as I search for myself. But the benefits will help calm me down a lot. He has not had a consistent job in a long time. The stability of it is intoxicating to me. MMMMM....... Smells like the ability to plan ahead a little. YAY!
As for me, I'm still leaping along. My plan now is to keep talking and writing till someone pays to shut me up. I'm looking for paying work I can do from home that allows me to stay true to my ham and not compromise my own values. I'm also looking ahead at my youngest starting school next year with his sisters. That means I can make different choices then. YAY! And now I can plan for my path and see what happens.
Leaping along....... Bill starts his new job today and I start my quest for new life patterns.
Nikki
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