Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Wrestling with "the why"...my vocation story, part 1



So, as promised, here’s my story in a nutshell.

I’ve spent the last 10 years of my life as a journalist and communications professional. I spent about five years as a reporter and editor for daily and weekly publications in South Carolina, Maryland and Virginia. I was living the life I’d dreamed of growing up, but discovered much to my dismay that the industry I had so admired was no longer. Budget cuts, smaller staff, and increasing pressure to break even led me to the painful conclusion that it was time to move on.

Sometimes the best things in life come to us when we’re not even looking. That’s what happened when my current job literally fell into my lap. I applied, thinking I had nothing to lose, and next thing I knew I was beginning a new phase of my career as communications manager for an order of Catholic priests, the Redemptorists.

I was nervous and excited all at once. I’d never held a job outside of a newsroom in my life. But from Day One I know that I’d made the right choice. And, to my surprise, I realized I didn’t miss the newsroom half as much as I thought I would. Life was going swimmingly until about a year later.

I still loved my job, loved my apartment, loved being close to family and friends, loved my church and other activities. But something was missing. I was restless and didn’t know why. Well, I knew why. The question was whether I was willing to finally wrestle with that “why.”

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