Jump Off the Luxury Cruise Ship

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

e.e. cummings

When I first heard this quote I was realizing that I had to admit to myself that I was very good at what I do, and this is what I need to keep doing as a career.  But the problem with that is I’m not very good at making money.  I teach people how to get organized around money, but I’m not very good at making it.

I used to make a lot of money.  I used to work for a big insurance company and I was good at that job too.  But I felt extremely unfulfilled.  I felt like I was just helping rich people get richer and I was a huge sell out. I felt I had talents, and was using them, but wasn’t even coming close to tapping into my potential.  I was there for sixteen years.

You hear stories like this all the time – about people who jump off of the luxury cruise liner into the shark infested waters. They sail away on a leaky raft headed to a better destination.  They work hard, keep rowing, and come across a world so much better than the luxury liner could have ever taken them to.  In the end, they’re helping the world, feeling fulfilled and making a million dollars to boot.

Wait, do we hear stories like that all the time?  Maybe I just made that up in my head.

When I left the corporate job, I knew this was the right thing to do.  Then I heard a sermon at my church about personal talents vs. spiritual gifts.  That was just the first in several lessons helping me understand what was going on with me.  This was His journey He was sending me on, and He is providing everything I need along the way.

I just need to show up and grow up and admit this is who I really am.