In your journey through life are you the "driver" or the "passenger"? Let me be perfectly clear what I mean about this statement. In other words, do you take charge of your own life? Do you make the judgment and set the goals for what you want your life to be like? - Or - Do you let others influence you and follow in their footsteps?

This is a very important question you should be answering. After all it is "your life" you should be the one designing it and being happy with it. So many people seem to think they should feel guilty if they aren't always following someone else's plan. Does it really make sense to please others yet not please yourself? I sure don't think so. Now I do agree you may want to compensate to some degree to please others but not to the degree of being unhappy about the kind of life you lead.

It took me a few years to finally come to that conclusion when I was in my early forties. You see my Dad was the owner of a very successful family florist business. He wanted to eventually pass it on to me. In my earlier years that was an exciting thought but as I grew older I began to have my doubts.

I started working part time in the business at a very early age. That was usually during major holidays and some special functions. When I went to high school I was on the regular payroll and working as much as thirty hours a week. After two years of college I was drafted into the U.S.Army so I was out of the picture for two years. I spent a lot of time thinking during that time what I would do when I finally returned home.

On returning home, married and having a child on the way I had reservations whether I wanted to continue my career in the business. I recalled some of those times when we worked sixty hour six day weeks with no vacation time. I wasn't sure if I was ready to commit myself to that kind of schedule anymore. Besides that I had a family now that was going to be affected too. Well the climax came one day a few weeks after I returned home from the service. I confronted my dad about the whole issue. He wasn't exactly pleased that I was demanding at least a half-day off a week and a two-week vacation every year. Eventually he relented and later I was even able to take a whole day off plus get a few other privileges too. I spent about another twenty years on this schedule but many times thinking, "do I really want to do this anymore?"

I finally reached this decision when I was forty-two years of age. I decided this business was no longer for me. My dad never really understood why I wanted to give it up even though I tried to explain why. I wasn't happy about the hours, the compensation, the stress and a host of other things usually demanded of a retail business.

The dream I had for becoming a commissioned sales representative kept popping up in my head over the years. I finally decided I was going to be the "driver" and no longer a "passenger" on my road through life. So it wasn't long before I got my first job as a sales rep. However it only lasted about eighteen months. I became dissatisfied with not only the company but the sales manager as well. I had already lined up a position with another company so I wasn't without a job for very long. I spent the next twenty years with them until my retirement.

During those years in sales I was the happiest I had ever been in my life. I earned more income during that time and was able to provide more things for my family too. Even though I traveled out of town every other week for about six years as a sales supervisor my wife was satisfied with that arrangement and so was I. I've come to the conclusion that no matter what age you are make sure that you always decide what kind of life is right for you. In the last six years my wife and I have spent half the year in Florida and the other half in our primary home in Indiana. It was a big decision. During those times we are away from our children and grandchildren but we made that choice because we were tired of the winters in Indiana. Once again we became the "drivers" instead of the "passengers" and made a choice of the type of life we wanted to lead. Only you should decide which kind of journey you will be taking through life and how you will arrive there. Take charge. Remember it's "Your Life." Enjoy it to the fullest.

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