PIVOTING IN LIFE: It's Never Too Late for a New Beginning

If I had asked you 10 or 15 years ago where you thought you would be today, what would your answer have been?

But here's the important part of my story. I didn't get from retirement to business ownership in one giant leap. There were decisions, unexpected opportunities, moments of uncertainty, and more than a few times when I wondered what in the world I was doing! And that's what I want to share with you.

When I retired, I certainly wasn't planning on becoming a National Marketplace Director or owning a Christian business directory. I had spent almost 50 years in the legal profession. I knew how to be a paralegal. I knew how to support attorneys. I knew how to get things done.

But retirement gave me something I hadn't had in a very long time — the opportunity to ask myself what I wanted to do next.

And what I discovered was that I still wanted to contribute. I still wanted to be involved. I still wanted to connect people and make a difference. I just didn't know yet what that was going to look like.

Now, I wish I could tell you that everything went exactly as planned from that point forward. But that's not how life works, is it? Sometimes we start down a path believing we know exactly where it's going to take us. And then something changes. Maybe the opportunity looks different than we expected. Maybe the things that worked in the beginning aren't working anymore. Or maybe we begin to realize that God is preparing us for something bigger than what we originally imagined. And that's when we have a decision to make.

Do we hold on to the original plan because it's comfortable? Or do we have the courage to change direction?

One of the things I've learned is that sometimes the hardest person to give us permission to change is ourselves. We get comfortable with our titles, our routines, and the expectations we've built around our lives.

For almost 50 years, I was part of the legal profession. That was my professional identity. But I had to realize that just because I had been one thing for most of my life didn't mean that was all I was ever meant to be. And I began to understand something else.

God wasn't asking me to forget everything I had done. He was asking me to use everything I had learned in a new way. My career had prepared me to be organized, professional, dependable, and detail-oriented. My years of networking and serving in the Chamber had taught me how much I loved connecting people. And my faith gave me a reason to bring those things together. I didn't have to become a different person, I just had to be willing to become a new version of myself.

Somewhere along the way, something happened that I never expected. I went from helping promote businesses to helping grow a national organization. And then another door opened.

Today, I own and manage Tampa Christian Businesses. Think about that for a moment. I retired from a career I had spent almost 50 years building, and instead of slowing down, I became a business owner! I learned technology I never imagined I would need. I learned marketing. I learned social media. I learned how to build and promote a business. And most importantly, I discovered that I absolutely LOVE what I do.

I love hearing people's stories. I love learning about their faith journeys. I love connecting two people and watching an opportunity develop that neither one could have created alone. And I love being able to say that my business is also my ministry.

None of that was in my original retirement plan. And I'm so grateful it wasn't!

Today, six years after retiring, I can tell you that I am not finished growing, learning, or discovering what God has planned for me. Retirement is not an end date, it’s the start of your next chapter!

And I hope you feel the same way about your own life. Because sometimes the greatest adventure begins when we have the courage to PIVOT.

One Final Question Where in your life are you holding onto the original plan simply because it was the original plan?