A woman's work

About a week ago, a friend invited me to a Women in Business luncheon in Brentwood. I decided it would be a great networking opportunity for my side business as well as a fun way to meet new people, so I went. Plus, the speaker, Mila Grigg, is an image consultant and fashion guru...right up my alley! She spoke specifically on how to dress professionally in the workplace and what that looks like since we all have varying occupations. It was so interesting and I have to say, most of what she said, I agreed with. She went over the basics of what not to wear of course, but also talked about how what we wear directly influences a person's opinion of us. Did you know that it only takes 5 seconds to create a lasting impression? Hmmm, who knew clothing & appearance could be so important, right? :) She also touched on something that hit home with me. She said that fashion is more of a "feeling" for women than for men and that it gives us the confidence we need in the workplace. In other words, if we feel good about how we look, it's going to affect our job performance for the better. I couldn't agree more. It's the whole reason behind why I wanted to do fashion styling in the first place. I love to encourage women because I am one and I know we need it! Being a woman with a career can be challenging in and of itself at times. For reasons that are different for each of us, I'm sure.

So, after I attended the luncheon, it got me thinking even more about the role a career plays in a woman's life. This might also be because it's the biggest thing going on in MY life at the moment. I've just accepted a new job at Lifeway corporate in Nashville and am SO excited about what God has in store for me there. It was a totally unexpected blessing during a very dry season in my life. Maybe I should back up & give you a synopsis of the last 6 months...

Last October I decided to quit my job at Thomas Nelson. I had been there three and a half years and came to a point where I knew it wasn't where or what I was supposed to be doing anymore. It was a tough decision in many ways because it was a good job with a good company & the best co-workers ever! But, I knew God was calling me to take a step out of my comfort zone. So, I accepted a job at a boutique in Green Hills and started a fashion styling business on the side. I loved working at the boutique, but it just wasn't meeting my needs financially, and the business was taking longer than I thought it would to get off the ground. So, in January I started looking for another "day" job. After many applications and several interviews with potential companies, I got a call from Lifeway in March that was totally out of the blue. I had put my application in a while back, but they were calling about a different position. It was in their church resources dept, which I have some experience in. A few weeks and two interviews later, I found out that I got the job! I should say that I felt years ago that God was going to put me at Lifeway one day, so this job offer was confirmation of that. I think that he has something for me to do there that's even beyond what I can see right now. I don't know what it looks like completely, but it'll be fun to see!

The majority of women now days have to work, by choice or not. But, I think that when we've found a career that not only gives us the confidence we need in life AND that we enjoy, but we're also doing it "as unto the Lord," it really makes a huge difference. He put men AND women on this earth to accomplish His purposes. He has put us each exactly where we're supposed to be for this season in our lives. And, that's exciting.