Crossroads - At The Intersection Of Prestige And Fulfillment

Crossroads - At the Intersection of Prestige and Fulfillment

AT THE INTERSECTION of Prestige and Fulfillment, you’ll often find an accident caused by a professional woman who either sat at the light too long or turned before the light changed green. When your financial livelihood and emotional well-being are at stake, making a successful turn onto Fulfillment is all about timing. Two important women in my life, like me, left prestigious positions in corporate America (think Rodeo Drive) for the scary, bumpy road of “something more” (which, from a distance, can look like Freddy Krueger Drive).

My friend Terry was truly at the top of her game, serving as the senior vice president of sales and technical services for a Fortune 100 company. Her position personified the three Ps of corporate success: Prestige. Power. And private jets. But the aggravations that accompany the corporate arena finally began to take their toll, and at fifty-seven, Terry bailed.

Terry said she never looked back: “To be self-directed is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. I am living, rather than just working.” And she began living just in the nick of time. Three years into retirement, Terry took on a battle with breast cancer that would have exhausted the most bullish CEO. Having the fortitude to deal with it appropriately, Terry elected for an aggressive form of treatment. Today Terry is a successful career- and life-coach. Her timing was perfect.

Debbie was the vice president of merchandising for a major retailer and a visionary in computer retailing; her influence and reputation commanded respect and delivered some pretty cool perks. A world traveler while raising teenagers, Debbie had no flexibility, no time to invest in her physical well-being, and no time to pursue her own interests. But in 1995, Debbie took a huge risk to join an unknown, start-up consulting group in an attempt to find balance. Today, she works when she wants, as much as she wants, and from where she wants. Debbie told me, “Having the space to pursue my interests, while enjoying a rewarding career, has made me a much more balanced person.” Her timing was perfect.

My story is similar to Terry’s and Debbie’s. Of the three of us, I was the first to walk out of my corner office and across a dark parking garage, arms loaded with boxes—scared out of my mind. But like Debbie and Terry, I knew in my heart that if I didn’t trade the prestige and security of my position for a more sane workload, I would eventually forfeit my mind and body (and some days, I swear, they were after my soul). Facing this crossroads and then choosing just the right time to open my own marketing company was among the five best decisions I have made in my life. My timing was perfect.

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. (Psalm 62:5)

Are you sitting at a similar intersection? Ask that your timing be God’s timing. He won’t steer you wrong.