Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In this week's journal entry, I want to help you make the right decision regarding business ownership versus "regular" job. If you want to own your own business someday, one thing you should think about is how much time you want to devote to your career. Another thing you should think about is how important career is to you in the grand scheme of things. In other words, where does it rank amongst your priorities? If you get clear on this, you'll make a better decision regarding whether business ownership is the right path for you.

Let me start this week's journal entry by sharing a quick story. Back when I was a lawyer - I mean from the very, very beginning when I was in my mid-20's - I knew I wasn't fulfilling my purpose. I knew I wasn't doing what I was meant to be doing in this lifetime. I felt really out of alignment. And it was an excruciating feeling. I thought about it a lot. I felt stuck in a career that almost felt like a betrayal of my true self -- every day I had to put on this facade to be a "lawyer" and it felt so unlike me. I'm not aggressive, firm, and loud by nature. In fact I'm quite the opposite. I felt pretty lost. It kept me up at night, it gave me stomachaches, and caused me a lot of stress. A few years into my career, I met this friend. She was also a lawyer. One day, early on in our friendship, we were talking about work and I was sharing my deepest, darkest feelings about my job. You know what she said in response? She said in the most nonchalant way, "Hmm, you know, I've never really thought about whether or not I like being a lawyer." My mind was blown. I thought about it every single day, and she's never even considered the question?!

Maybe you relate to me, but maybe you relate more to my friend. Instead of career, maybe you can't stop thinking about children. You just know you are meant to be a mom. Yeah sure you have a stable, good job but it's not "central" to your life purpose for being here on this earth at this time. You just know it in your core. You spend more time thinking about how many kids you want to have, and how far apart in age you want them to be, and what parenting style is best, etc. If that's you, can I share something with you? That'll maybe help you relate to my side of the street? I have never, ever felt a strong urge to have children. I have never felt my "clock ticking" as they say. Sure, I think it would be cool to have a child or two, but I also think it would be cool to have a child-less life. And however life ends up for me, I'll be okay. I don't spend much time thinking about it. I never have. And maybe that's shocking to you, the way it was shocking to me that my friend never thought about whether she liked being a lawyer. You see, I think we all have different purposes here on this earth. If we were all the same, life would be boring, wouldn't it?  

So where do you fall on the spectrum? Do you feel strongly that your purpose during this lifetime is tied closely to career? Or is your purpose tied closely to being a mom and you'll have a career on the side? Or maybe your purpose is something else entirely? There is no right or wrong answer. And one answer isn't better than another. What is important is that you get clear on YOUR main purpose in this lifetime. Because if your purpose isn't strongly tied to career, I think you're really going to dislike having your own business. It takes over your life sometimes, just the way a child would take over your life for a few years. There is no such thing as 9-to-5 when you are the business owner. Sure, if your business is successful, you can eventually start to delegate duties and work less but those initial 5 years will take everything you have. Every last bit of you. So my advice would be to get really honest with yourself with the place work has in your life. And with the place you want work to have in your life. Is it your driving purpose? Or is work just something we all have to do, and you don't give too much thought to it? And that'll help you make a better decision regarding whether business ownership for you, or whether you would be more happy in a "regular" job that doesn't demand too much of you on the nights and weekends.

I hope you're able to learn something valuable from my own experience. If you'd like my Weekly Journal sent straight to your inbox every week, click here to subscribe.

P.S. Are you on Pinterest? I have a Weekly Journal board on Pinterest so you can easily navigate my journal entries. You can view and follow the board by clicking here. I've written so much about quitting my lawyer job to start g+h over the past few years and I want to make it easier for you to access and read the entries that resonate most!

xoxo,
Stacy