PURPOSE DRIVEN WOMAN
““I learned the importance of stepping out on faith. I learned that God is able and capable…””
This month’s Purpose Driven Woman is another good friend, Arnita Greene. After many years of working for the government she walked away from her ‘good government job’ as the baby boomers would say, to pursue her passion as a real estate agent. She is now a top selling agent at Keller Williams where she is leading other agents, teaching first time home buyer courses, and truly living life abundantly.
How did you know it was time to move on?
Arnita: I was working for the government and it was a good job making really good money. I was there for 9 years but unhappy for six of those years and something was missing. I liked doing the job but it was about the money. And when I started doing real estate it really gave me a rush. I loved it! Even though it got frustrating, I still wanted more. There was something about seeing a person’s face once they closed on their property or when they found the perfect home for their family. It’s an excellent feeling!
But I was getting to work at 6am, leaving to show a property at 10am, coming back –only to leave to show another property during my lunch break and then show another as soon as I got off work. I was like “Something’s gotta give!” I also wanted to spend more time with my family. My job was becoming more and more demanding and I was focused on real estate as well but my family needed me more. And my job wasn’t fulfilling. I knew it wasn’t my calling; it wasn’t for me.
What were you afraid of?
Arnita: I was afraid of failure, afraid of what people would say, afraid of not living up to my dreams and goals.
What was the greatest challenge?
Arnita: The challenge was being sure that I was doing the right thing… When I decided to walk away from my job and gave them my notice, they asked me to work part-time. When I shared that with others (family/friends), the response was “Oh good”, “I’m glad”, “Great, you’ll still have that to fall back on.” And I was thinking ‘Wait. Why is that good?’ But I did it…I agreed to work part-time and showed up the first day and thought to myself ‘Why am I here? Why did I do this? Did I do this because everyone else said it was a good idea?’ And said to myself, ‘Do they think I’m gonna fail?’ I know they didn’t mean it that way or mean any harm but it really had me second guessing. Then I said to myself [as she rises slightly] ‘You know what…no! I don’t care about this job, I don’t want this anymore [her eyes beginning to water and mine too] and I don’t need anything to fall back on because I know I can do it. I got this, I can do it!”
What surprised you the most?
Arnita: A couple of things. After I gave my two-week’s notice, my business grew tremendously. I stepped out on faith and started receiving more calls, more clients, and more listing appointments.
At the beginning of this year I wrote down my goals. They included personal goals like lose weight [she laughs] and business goals like growing my business and walking away from my job. I usually write my goals down anyway but this time I wrote them down and meant them. I committed to my goals this time and that’s the difference!
What did you sacrifice?
Arnita: My husband is a numbers guy, he saves constantly and I’m the opposite, total opposite. He has my back but he wanted to see how serious I was about walking away from my job so I had to save a certain amount first. It was hard. I couldn’t shop and any money from a closing went straight to savings. It took a while because I thought I could still do all the things I wanted to do and I couldn’t. There were times when I got really close to the goal and wanted to quit my job but my husband wouldn’t let me. He would remind of the agreement saying ‘What did we discuss? “Saving was a real sacrifice for me because I wasn’t used to that.
What did you learn about yourself?
Arnita: I learned that I’m strong. I’ve learned how to be a better steward of my finances. I learned the importance of stepping out on faith. I learned that God is able and capable… [She pauses for a moment and then speaks, voice quivering slightly and tears beginning to form] When things are going well for you, sometimes you question whether or not you’re deserving and you start waiting for whatever can go wrong. I learned to just be happy. It’s okay to be happy.
What advice would you give to others?
Do not [raises her voice], DO NOT sit on whatever it is you want out of life. I have a family so I needed my husband’s support and approval [yes, approval] so I had to do the work to make sure my family was going to be okay. Do what you have to do!
How do you feel today?
Arnita: It feels amazing to wake up every morning to do exactly what I’ve been dreaming of doing. It really feels great like “OMG, this is my life.”