Lisa Gallagher, since we have talked voice to voice, I know some of the background and you know that I know that YOU. ARE. NOT. A. FAILURE!

Darn few of us knew when we were young who and what we’d be as we became adults.

Darn few of us had a calling so strong that it stayed true for us through 20, 30, or 40 years.

Darn few of us always felt in control, always thought we knew what we were doing, or ended up anywhere near where we might have thought we’d be at some age!

I know I thought very little about my future; I took jobs as they were offered — mostly in “proper” types for women in the 1960s and ’70s. If I considered any job at all, it was always limited by what women “could” do back then. I lurched from position to position in corporate, enjoying much but not ever feeling fulfilled, something I wasn’t even aware of wanting to feel!

As I look back, my last 25 years make complete sense given my strengths and types of things I always enjoyed — but did I grow up thinking I’d become who I am (the Grammar Goddess) when I was young? And even that title has shifted (the new word is “pivoted”) over the last three or four years.

Are you kidding? I couldn’t have imagined it. But luck played a part, my willingness to take some risks played a part, and my willingness to go with the flow played a part.

You’re at a crossroads. OK. You and I have talked about this, and it’s a great time for you to take stock — as you’re doing — and figure out what wouldn’t be a great fit for you and what might be.

Talk to us, Lisa. Give us your thoughts; listen to ours (if we have any).

A lot of people care about you, and we want to see you shine from doing something that feels right — in its own time.