Insanity...or is it?

It's always entertaining to watch people's eyes get big and their jaws slowly drop when I tell them I have not one, not two, but three jobs and am going to grad school, too. I know everyone thinks I'm insane--and sometimes I have to concur.

But I love all the things I do, and they all serve different purposes in my life. As a literary agent, I get the opportunity to help authors realize their dreams of being published and share potentially life-changing messages with wider audiences. As a loan officer, I get to satisfy my nerdy affinity for order and procedure and numbers while offering financial solutions that can provide tremendous relief for people struggling to make ends meet. As a beauty consultant, I admit my motivation is purely selfish--I just love the girl time! And as for school, I have high hopes and expectations that my MBA degree will open up all sorts of new doors and opportunities for me to make a difference in the world.

So, you see, I really can't quit any of this. But while doing my first MBA assignment today, I learned that (contrary to popular opinion), I am NOT insane. I'm simply preparing for the second half of my life--and it's never too early to start! According to Peter Drucker's article, "Managing Oneself," parallel careers are a great way to prepare for the second half of one's life, when "having options will become increasingly important." So, I'll keep plugging away at my parallel careers, trying to avoid insanity one day at a time while I keep my options open...