Midlife Crises in the Business World

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has experienced the ups and downs of owning your own business. Including in that family, military moves, and good intentions. It's hard to believe at times that I've stepped away from my website, blog postings, and social media when it comes to my company now for almost one full year. I have new and returning clients, and I've given numerous presentations, so my company has been doing well. Let me take a few steps back.

I have a creative crafty side that I missed and wanted to explore again for those of you who have met me and know what I'm like. So, about a year ago, I took a part-time job as a local florist and thoroughly enjoyed meeting with people every day that I worked, building new friendships and possible business relationships.  I worked in a flower shop back in high school, and again during one of our military rotations, creating floral arrangements was something I always enjoyed, creative and crafty. It was like a craft room playground. But, I found that between the hours at the flower shop, mind you, it wasn't part-time anymore, and my client work, things just weren't the same anymore, and I was missing something. So, I needed to take a good hard look at what was happening and find that missing element, fun!

So, it's no big surprise for me genealogy is fun, the researching, the blog postings, writing, and working more with clients. I love doing what I do, finding those missing pieces in a family story. Unlocking a family's history and sharing all the wonderful, funny, shocking, and unique things our ancestors have done. So, I gave a two weeks' notice, yes, that might be viewed as old school, and left that craft room playground. Let's just say that I'm one happy genealogist along with my family, and business is better to boot. I don't know if this saying applies for most, but it works for me "you may think the grass is greener on the other side, but if you take the time to water your own grass, it will be just as green." So, I thought I was missing out on something and took a chance, stepping away from the comfort of my business and my client base. Mind you, I didn't step too far away but enough to get my toes wet and figure out I didn't like it.

If asked if I would do it again and take on a part-time job, I would have to say, "yeah." That might seem a little strange to some, but I guess you could think of it as a midlife crisis in the business world. I felt as if I was missing something, that creative crafty side. I needed to revisit that side of creativity, making floral arrangements, making jewelry or baking, whatever it was I needed and wanted to give it a try. It's important to note that I didn't let my company cease to exist while doing this. I continued to work with clients and give those presentations. Because of that, it was easier for me to discover what that missing element of fun was.