The Day My Life Changed

When I was biking cross country, there was a day that I was pulled under an 18-wheeler truck speeding by. It was the longest 3 seconds of my life; in that moment I truly thought I was going to die. What went through my head was that I just wanted another moment to hug my then boyfriend (now husband) and mom. 

At the last possible moment, I got out from underneath the truck physically unscathed. But that moment changed me. At first, I was much more cautious and didn’t fly down mountains as quickly. But once the initial fear wore off, a deeper fear set in. Life is short and I did not want to spend my time doing things that I didn't love.

This Thanksgiving I reflected on how grateful I am to have experienced that moment. That inflection point helped me leave a comfortable life to follow my passion for finance. A year and a half later and I still spend my free time (read: time pushing the baby stroller or when Saoirse is asleep) listening to finance podcasts and reading finance books as it is what I love to do. I am so grateful to be living a life as my most authentic self.

Because at the end of the day we are only here for a short time and get to choose how we make the most of it.

The author of this article is Nora Daniels, Financial Planning Assistant at U.S. Wealth Management.

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