My Transplanting into Real Estate
Transplanting by definition means to move or transfer something to another place or situation, typically with some effort or upheaval.
I agree with this definition.
I think of it like a plant being transplanted. Sometimes we grow to the size of pot we have been planted in. Then the only way to keep growing or to continue living is to:
1. Be transplanted in a new pot in order to let your roots re-establish giving you room to grow. OR
2. Begin to give off seeds to others in order that your growth multiplies in the form of seeds.
I have been transplanted before. Put into a new pot so to speak where I had to leave a place I loved and learn something new. In that place it was a little shocking at first, but then my roots established, and I grew and grew and grew.
So, here I was in my life, almost 40 years old and I was restless, and I should not have been. I was feeling like there was something more and I was missing it. According to worldly standards I was living and working in my dream career. I have a fantastic husband, and a beautiful family. Thankfully due to some strategic stewardship and guidance from God, we had very little debt and were able to live a very nice but modest lifestyle. We were (still are) involved in church, and I was working for something I thought was clearly a mission from God. I worked part time from home consulting and speaking (all things I love). I was able to pick up my kiddo’s and be very present. So why then did I feel restless? Why did I feel an urgency that something was not quite right, and something needed to change?
I can say that I have felt this way 2 x in my life. And in both circumstances, it required me getting to the end of me and to the beginning of what God had next for me. I knew that I felt stuck…for no real apparent reason. Nonetheless I did know I was stuck. I reasoned that perhaps it should really be my husband that needed to make a change and not me. (because don’t most wives think that when something needs to change it shouldn’t be them? Lol?) But, inside of me I knew that was not true, it was not my husband that needed a change it was me.
So, I prayed. And God answered. Just not the way I thought He would. (I really should have known. I mean, I did give Him full permission to search my heart.) I prayed that I would not look to my will, but to the will of the Lord. I prayed that the Lord would kill anything in me that was not of Him. True story. Imagine this, He answered my prayer.
One night shortly after I prayed I had a dream. I was stuck in quicksand and my older sister was in the quicksand with me. However, she was able to get out and I was not. In my dream I asked her to go get help. She easily got out of the quicksand and went looking for help. All of a sudden, a horse dove into the quicksand and pulled up next to me on the left-hand side. I immediately knew in my dream that the horse’s name was “King” and that he was the “Sherriff” of the land. He looked at me as if to say “get on!”. But, he was on the wrong side of me. I didn’t think I could get on. But, the horse did not seem to care. I finally mounted him, even though it was unusual and I would not have normally gotten on from the left side. After I mounted him he easily pulled me out. I believe the dream was telling me that if I was willing to do things differently in my life I would get unstuck.
As I was discussing this with a friend and colleague, he bought and sent me the book “Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud. This book changed my life. In this book Dr. Cloud discussed 3 different things that we should always be pruning in all areas of our lives (back to that transplanting idea from earlier):
1. Things that are dead and no longer necessary. Get rid of them.
2. Things that are sick. You have tried to make them better, but they just will not get better. Get rid of them.
3. Things that are good, but they are not the best for your life. Prune them out in order that you may grow.
Well…that was the answer for me. I knew that what I had in my life had been good, really good for a season. And maybe was the best at one time. But it was no longer the best for me. And I have heard it said that good is the enemy of best. I knew I needed to lay down the career I loved, the job I had worked hard to achieve, the “status” and “title” I had earned in order to grow into the next best season my life.
So…I started the adventure to find out what was next. Personally, my husband has worked in property management for commercial real estate for close to a decade. It has always fascinated me and after much thought, prayer and counseling I knew I needed to get my real estate license. We had even talked about it many, many moons ago. I took an investing class and embarked on my journey into getting licensed. I took all 180 hours of course work and exams in 2 months, studied for a month and then took the exam. (Thankfully I passed! Phew!)
Here I am in this new RealEstate career…in a HUGE pot with lots of room to grow. The transition into this pot has been exciting and nerve wracking all wrapped up together. Ultimately, it’s been quite fun. And, I know that I know, this is what I am called to do at this time in my life. I am here to help families and businesses as they transition or are transplanted into their next best season of life. It can be a bundle of emotions all at once. And I know what it is like to transition. I know what it is like to have hope and believe. I know what it is like to let go of something old and familiar in order to move into something new. I am hopeful to serve with excellence each person, family or business placed in my path to see the very next best season of their lives in their new transition.
3 John 2
“Beloved I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with our soul.”
Today if you are reading this blog and are ready to make a transition or are in the middle of one already I pray that you will feel peace and excitement as you move forward in your journey.
Joyfully, Meagan Brown
