By Marysa Stevens
SpouseLink Guest Blogger
Search online and you’ll find a plethora of blogs and articles about the trials and hardships of military spouses. It’s not an easy life, and there are a lot of perspectives others share. We are driven by the same call our spouses have to serve, sacrifice, and persist through adversity to achieve goals.
In this vein, a military spouse and businessperson or entrepreneur share a lot of similar qualities. During my husband’s nine-month deployment, I raised our newborn daughter alone, while our closest family was more than 2,000 miles away. The timing was far from ideal, but when faced with no choice, I dug deep into an inner strength I never knew I had. The challenges and lessons I learned along the way taught me lessons applicable to professional life:
- There will always be changes — the only certainty is uncertainty
- Inner strength and adversity is easy to find when you have no choice
- Priorities become clearer
- Networking reigns queen
- Ask for and accept help
Throughout the deployment I was able to continue working for select clients, build on my portfolio of work and earn income. I set weekly and monthly goals, and I trusted my gut when it came to networking and where I valued my time. These are lifelong lessons I’ll carry with me throughout my career.
About Marysa Stevens
Marysa Stevens is the owner of Stevens Signature Marketing, a freelance writing and marketing company she started to avoid career stagnation as the military spouse of an active duty Army physician. She has a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Nevada. You can find her at ClassyCareerGirl.com.
More MilSpouse Career Tips:
Solutions for Your Military Family:
Life Insurance, Wealth Management, Home Mortgages, Survivor Services, and more. Learn more about AAFMAA.
