Whether it’s personal or professional, it can feel scary to act on the feeling that it’s time for a change. If the change is right, I believe you’re rewarded when you make that tough decision.
I made a change at work this year and gave myself a goal to accomplish by the end of the year. I accomplished it in eight months. I embraced that reward as confirmation I had done the right thing for me.
Change is all around, including in my friend circle.
Two friends have gone through career changes recently. I heard the uncertainty in their voices as they contemplated making a move. I also heard the tension in their voices as they talked about staying put. I wished I could have given them the answer to their dilemma. Instead, all I could do was pray for them and make sure they knew I was rooting for a positive outcome.
Sometimes the outcome is swift. Other times, it meanders along a course of self-discovery until a new path is revealed that hadn’t been a consideration when the journey began.
My favorite example of self-discovery happened after months of stress and misery at a job where I didn’t feel respected or valued. My husband Michael and I were folding laundry one Sunday afternoon when I burst into tears at the thought of having to go to work the next morning.
After talking it over with Michael, I left that job without another full-time job lined up.
That is unlike me. I prefer security. But joblessness lit a fire under me and I called everyone I knew who might need a writer/public relations contractor. I quickly pieced together some projects. I also helped my mom in her medical transcription business. Within two months I had cobbled together enough work to create income I could count on. Although I didn’t leave that job with the intention of starting a business, I ultimately incorporated and operated a professional writing/public relations firm for 12 years until I closed it and became a financial advisor.
While listening to one of my new favorite podcasts recently (Hayden Alabama Podcast, Episode 126– specifically, 1:09:22), I was reminded of the way God will direct your path and answer your prayers if you ask and pay attention. Go listen for yourself, but in a nutshell, the storyteller felt like she was being called to move on from her current job. She was offered a job that met every need she had prayed about, but fear kept her from accepting the offer immediately.
I don’t understand why we do that to ourselves, but I know I’m guilty of it in my own life. When I’m honest with myself about closing my PR business and becoming an advisor, I had felt the nudge five years before I made the move. Five years. What I do today is the most professionally fulfilling, emotionally rewarding work I’ve ever done, and fear kept me from that for five years.
How do you know when it’s time to make a change?
I am a prayerful person, and I pray for clarity. I pray for the decision to be so glaringly obvious there’s no way to make the wrong choice. I also value my husband’s opinion. This, along with trusting my gut, has helped me lessen the times where I feel regret over my actions (or inactions).
I hope that if you’re in a place in life where you feel an urge to make a change, you’ll pray about it and listen to your gut.
Your Goals
Why is your financial advisor talking about change? Because it happens to all of us- sometimes we get to choose it, and sometimes we don’t. If life throws you a curveball and you’re worried about how this change might affect your financial future, perhaps I can offer some insight. Let me update your financial plan or create a plan for you that reflects the change you see coming. We can discuss strategies for addressing it. My goal is to help you work diligently toward your goals, no matter what life throws at you.
September 2025
