On Friday night Dan and I went to a fireside at his Finance Professor's house. Kim Smith has been more than a professor to Dan, he has been a kind of mentor. He worked for Goldman Sachs in Sales and Trading for over 20 years and had tremendous success. When he retired he came back to BYU to teach and help prepare students for a career on Wall Street.
Kim helped Dan throughout his interview process with Goldman and was his inspiration to get into Sales and Trading at a school where Investment Banking is the thing to do.
I am one hundred percent supportive of Dan's career aspirations and crazy proud that he scored the Sales and Trading Goldman internship this summer, but I have had some fears about the life we will have with this career. It is a lot of hard work, meaning lots of hours at the office and probably some travel. Dan is so passionate about it so I know he will love it and of course wouldn't want him to do anything else. I still worried about the work/life balance and if we can pull it off.
Friday night, Kim and his wife Julie, hosted us in their home for dinner and a fireside about just that, work/life balance. They shared with us their personal experiences and told us how they made it work. They recognize that it was not always the conventional family lifestyle, but they made changes and made it work. They raised four children who Julie pointed out, think their Dad was at everything they did. They have nothing but amazing memories of their Dad, even though he worked a lot.
They pointed out to us that the LDS church has a heritage of hard work. It's not like the pioneers were working 9-5. They worked HARD sunrise to sunset everyday but the Sabbath. President Hinckley was known to work extremely hard and very long hours in his role for the church, before he became a general authority.They told us not be afraid of hard work. I had not thought of it in that perspective before.
Julie also shared her tips and experiences about being a stay at home mom to four kids, while having a husband that worked long and hard. She never stopped exploring her own interests, while supporting her husband's, and helping her children foster theirs. It was extremely motivating to me and I think she is just incredible.
I left their home feeling amazing. My fears have subsided and I am actually feeling genuine excitement for our adventures in the future! I know that we can make a wonderful life for ourselves, even if it may be a bit different than what I had imagined. I am thankful for the tender mercies of the Lord. That evening in their home was exactly what I needed to help prepare myself and to get the feeling of calm that only the Lord can provide. I am so grateful. Bring on the Future!
