
About 4 years ago, I made a career pivot from being a senior pastor to becoming a real estate agent. It was one of the most exciting & scary moves in my life. I had spent 25+ years working in full time ministry & to say that it as an identity shift is an understatement. In ministry, I loved helping people thrive & find their purpose & passion in life. I enjoyed preaching & impacting others through that platform. The years took a toll & I could not believe I was starting to think about doing something else for a career. Being in my late 40’s I was not sure I could recreate myself & my future. But I knew the time had come to give it a shot.
About 3 years before I submitted my resignation, I started doing a lot of soul searching. I studied personality profiles, read books on purpose, & listing to career pivot podcasts. & more than anything I talked with my wife about what it would look like to change careers. & of course when you make a change from the ministry to something else people ask “what went wrong?” But I didn’t think about it that way. I thought how can I grow & thrive in new ways.
As I explored, I realized that I have always loved building&creating & loved serving others. I did that in the church & I wanted to keep those passions engaged. There were 3 questions I grappled with:“What am I good at?,” “What do people say I am good at?” &“What are the fears that keep you from doing it?”
There are so many fears but the opposite of fear is courage. It took courage to step back & step into a new way of engaging the world around me. Guiding my clients through complex& stressful transactions is meaningful very refreshing.
My heart is full of gratitude. I am thankful for the years I spend in ministry. I am grateful for the people around me. There is an old phrase that goes “You know what they say about a turtle on a fencepost?” “If you see one, it did not get there by itself.” That is my story. I am thankful for my wife & kids support. My friends. Biz coach. And in my new career my business partner/ friend Ryan Jenkins who has taught me the ropes in real estate.
It has been an amazing journey.
Thanks for reading!