Married Woman ISOA (In search of answers)

My mother used to say I was a “jack-of-all-trades and master of none” owing I’m sure to the breadth of my experience rather than the depth. Let’s see I’ve been a farmhand, an insurance adjuster, a banker, an accountant; I have a pre-law college degree, half of a Masters degree in psychological counseling and a whole Masters degree in Business Administration. To me this reads “flighty,” and quite honestly I’m bothered by it. I admire those who have either wittingly or unwittingly found their niche and achieved success. I wish I could change things for myself, but my biggest hurdle is the staying put factor. There aren’t enough hours in a day to quench the curiosity coursing through my veins. There may be an upside to this, but I’m painfully aware of the downside—a large dose of impatience. The challenge is to strike a balance.

For example, when I wanted to make an informed decision during the past presidential election, I read books on health care reform, poverty, terrorism, the global economy. As the election approached I switched to newspapers and magazines. I spoke with many, many people about their views on the candidates and asked them where they were getting their information. As you can imagine there was a whole spectrum of responses, including those I mentioned and also television and talk radio.

It is very time-consuming to stay informed—how do YOU do it? Are there resources that you use regularly—websites, magazines, newspapers? Or, do you have friends or colleagues who you can count on for some quality discourse?

Yes, I’m curious!