In 2010, I decided to shift careers. I moved from Advertising to PR. This decision wasn't easy to make, but the Lord made it very clear to me that it was the best option for me and my family. Advertising was something I was passionate about and to give it up meant starting from scratch, but the Lord's message was clear so I obeyed.
Just one year after, Max and I decided to do PR together but to be completely honest, I didn't want to start my own practice as I felt it was too soon in my career to do so. But again the Lord's message was clear, that this is where He wanted us to go, this is what He wanted us to do together, and so we again heeded the call to follow His direction. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions we have ever made. It changed both of us for the better. The last decade was full of ups and downs, but we learned so much from it both professionally and personally.
Fast forward to the last few years.
We thought 2018 was rough until 2019 came. 2018 was all about making difficult but necessary decisions, while 2019 was about acceptance and change.
2019 was bleak. It had been the most difficult year since starting our own PR practice. It was also extremely difficult for the family.
January 2019 - My father arrived from the US, something we weren't financially ready for since we decided to break it off with some business partners just a few months before that.
February 2019 - We discovered that re-setting up ROAR IMC (our own practice) was going to be tricky and very costly. We didn't have any money for capital and we weren't able to close the company while we had another company set up with other business partners. To cut the long story short, we couldn't revive the old company. We didn't want anybody to help us because we've been down that road before and it didn't work out.
June 2019 - As much as we were all ecstatic that my eldest daughter was getting married to her best friend, the thought of her moving to another country was heartwrenching. Knowing that she will be living so far away from me, threw me back into a deep depression.
But not everything about 2019 was depressing. A huge part of me was so happy that my eldest daughter not only graduated from college in 2018 but was also starting a life with a wonderful man. As a result, I now have two sons! That is something worth celebrating, even if not having her around was going to leave a huge void.
October 2019 - Towards the latter part of the year, I contemplated returning back to being an employee. This decision was so difficult to make as I didn't want to abandon Max but it had to be done, for the love of the family. It will also help us set aside money so that we can eventually revive our old company.
In summary, 2019 was so difficult and dark for me and my family, but most especially for me. I hadn't had any depressive episodes in years but I had numerous that year. It was horrible. I couldn't get myself to work or to study. I was crying all day every day for months at a time, and at certain times in the evening, I even got suicidal.
"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart". - Psalm 37:4
Cheers to the new decade.
Happy New Year!
from the Rockwell - Arroyos and the Gabriels.
