When God Redefines Success: From Chasing a Career to Living My Calling
How Surrendering My Plans to God Led Me to My True Purpose
I spent years chasing the life I thought I wanted, only to discover that God had something far greater planned for me.
For much of my adult life, I was the definition of career-driven. I had goals, ambitions, and a carefully imagined picture of what success should look like. I wanted to climb the corporate ladder, achieve more, earn more, and continue proving myself professionally.
And there is nothing inherently wrong with ambition. God gives each of us unique gifts, talents, and abilities for a reason.
But somewhere along the way, I had allowed my career to become the driving force behind my decisions. I was so focused on building the life I thought I wanted that I wasn't fully considering the life God was calling me to live.
Then, in 2019, everything changed.
When God Interrupted My Plans
When my first child was born prematurely, my world shifted in ways I never could have anticipated.
Suddenly, the meetings, deadlines, professional accomplishments, and next steps on my career path didn't seem nearly as important as they once had.
I was a new mother, navigating an unexpected and difficult season and realizing that the priorities I had spent years building my life around were changing.
For the first time, I began to understand that perhaps God's plan for my life looked very different from the one I had created for myself.
Stepping away from corporate America wasn't part of my original plan. I had worked hard to establish my career, and walking away from that path required me to release something I had invested so much of myself in.
But looking back, I can see God's hand in every detail.
He wasn't taking away my purpose.
He was redirecting it.
God was stripping away my need for control, reshaping my heart, and teaching me that surrender isn't about losing everything you've worked for. Sometimes, it's about making room for something far greater.
And that process didn't happen overnight. In fact, He's still working on me today.
After welcoming my first child, God blessed us with two more beautiful babies. And wouldn't you know it? All three of my children were born prematurely. Between their three births, we spent a total of 11 and a half weeks in the NICU.
If you want to talk about God stripping away a control freak's need for control, that will certainly do it!
I was someone who liked having a plan, knowing what came next, and feeling like I had everything under control. But sitting beside my babies in the NICU, surrounded by monitors, medical equipment, and so much uncertainty, I quickly realized there was absolutely nothing I could do to control our circumstances.
I couldn't determine when my babies would be strong enough to come home. I couldn't make the monitors stop alarming or make the days pass any faster. I couldn't plan our way out of those hospital rooms.
All I could do was pray, trust, and surrender my children to the One who loved them even more than I did.
And let me tell you, trusting God's plan is a whole lot easier to talk about than it is to actually live out.
There were moments of fear, exhaustion, uncertainty, and countless prayers. But there was also God's presence, His peace, and His faithfulness through every single day.
Those NICU experiences taught me something no career accomplishment ever could: I was never truly in control to begin with. God was.
And while I wouldn't have chosen those difficult seasons for my family, I can look back now and see how God used them to strengthen my faith, deepen my dependence on Him, and continue molding me into the woman He created me to be.
I learned that surrender doesn't mean we stop caring about the outcome. It means we trust God with the outcome, even when we cannot see what He's doing.
Sometimes, God allows us to reach the end of our own strength so we can discover just how faithful He is.
From Corporate Success to Kingdom Purpose
After leaving corporate America, I founded my own marketing consulting business, The Social Jewell.
What began as a way to continue using my professional skills while being present for my family became an opportunity to build something I genuinely love.
Today, I have the privilege of helping businesses and organizations grow through marketing, branding, strategic planning, and digital communications.
I still get to be creative. I still get to lead. I still get to build relationships, solve problems, and pursue professional goals.
But the difference is that my career no longer determines the direction of my life.
My faith and family do.
I used to structure my life around my career. Now, I have the opportunity to structure my career around the life God has called me to live.
That doesn't mean every day is easy or that I've somehow mastered the art of balancing everything. Running a business while raising three children requires sacrifice, flexibility, and a whole lot of grace.
But I wouldn't trade this season for the career I once thought I needed.
Because I've discovered something that completely changed my perspective:
Success isn't always about reaching the next level. Sometimes, it's about being faithful right where God has placed you.
The Calling I Never Saw Coming
If you had told me years ago that I would one day homeschool three children, I probably would have laughed.
Homeschooling was never part of my plan.
I was going to have a successful career, raise a family, and somehow make everything fit into the picture I had created for myself.
But once again, God had something different in mind.
Today, not only do I homeschool all three of my children, but I also serve as the Community Director of our local Classical Conversations homeschool community.
And I can say with complete confidence that it is one of the greatest blessings of my life.
I get to spend my days teaching my children, watching them grow, and helping lay a foundation of faith that I pray will guide them throughout their lives.
I'm not simply teaching reading, writing, math, and history.
I'm raising little disciples.
I'm teaching them that their identity is found in Christ, that God's Word is truth, and that their greatest purpose in life is to know Him and make Him known.
There was a time when I believed my greatest influence would come through my professional accomplishments.
Today, I recognize that some of the most important work God has entrusted to me is happening right inside my own home.
And what a privilege that is.
The World Defines Success Differently Than God Does
We live in a culture that constantly tells women to do more, achieve more, earn more, and become more.
We're encouraged to chase the next promotion, build the bigger business, and pursue the next accomplishment.
And while I believe women are capable of incredible things, I also believe we have to be careful not to allow the world's expectations to drown out God's direction.
Because here's what I've learned:
You can be incredibly successful in the eyes of the world and still be completely outside the purpose God has for your life.
You can have the title, the income, the recognition, and the accomplishments, yet still feel like something is missing.
I know because I spent years believing those things were the ultimate measure of success.
But God's Word reminds us in Proverbs 16:9:
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps."
That verse speaks so deeply to my journey.
I had my plans.
God had His.
And I'm so incredibly thankful that His plans prevailed.
That doesn't mean every woman is called to leave corporate America, become an entrepreneur, or homeschool her children.
God's calling looks different for each of us.
Some women are called to lead corporations. Some are called to classrooms, hospitals, ministries, businesses, or their homes. Many are called to serve in several of these places throughout different seasons of life.
The important question isn't whether your life looks like someone else's.
The important question is whether you're seeking God's will for your own.
Learning to Surrender Is a Lifelong Journey
One thing I want to make very clear is that I haven't figured it all out.
I'm still learning.
I'm still growing.
I'm still the woman who sometimes wants to take control, make the plans, and figure out every detail before taking the next step.
And God is still patiently teaching me to trust Him.
There have been seasons of uncertainty, unexpected challenges, difficult decisions, and moments when I couldn't see what was coming next.
But through it all, He has been faithful.
I've learned that surrender isn't a one-time decision.
It's a daily choice.
It's waking up each morning and saying, "Lord, not my will, but Yours."
It's trusting Him when the path doesn't make sense.
It's recognizing that an open door isn't always a door we're meant to walk through.
And it's being willing to release something good when God is calling us toward something different.
One of the greatest lessons I've learned is that just because I can do something doesn't mean God is calling me to do it.
My time, energy, and attention are limited. Every yes requires a sacrifice somewhere else.
I've had to learn to be intentional about where I invest those gifts.
And while I certainly don't get it right every day, I'm learning that obedience matters far more than achievement.
To the Woman Who Feels Like She's Falling Behind
Maybe you're reading this while questioning the direction of your career.
Maybe you're exhausted from trying to meet everyone's expectations.
Maybe you're a mother who feels torn between professional ambitions and being present for your children.
Or maybe life has taken an unexpected turn, and you're struggling to understand why God has allowed your plans to change.
I want to encourage you with something I've learned through my own journey:
You are not behind when you're walking in God's timing.
Your worth isn't determined by your job title.
Your identity isn't found in your income.
And your purpose isn't measured by how impressive your accomplishments look to the world.
Your identity is found in Jesus Christ.
Don't become so consumed with building the life you think you're supposed to have that you miss the beautiful life God is calling you to live.
Pray about your decisions.
Seek His wisdom.
Be willing to take the unexpected path.
And when He calls you to surrender something, trust that He sees what you cannot.
Sometimes, the very thing you think you're losing is what God uses to lead you into your greatest season of growth.
The Legacy I Want to Leave
When I think about the legacy I hope to leave behind, I don't think about my business, my professional accomplishments, or the leadership positions I've held.
I think about my children.
I think about the people God has allowed me to serve.
I think about the opportunities I've had to encourage others, build relationships, and share His goodness.
And most importantly, I think about whether my life points people toward Jesus.
I want my children to remember a mother who loved the Lord with her whole heart.
I want them to remember that we prayed together, studied God's Word together, and trusted Him through both the beautiful and difficult seasons of life.
I want them to see that following Jesus isn't simply something we talk about on Sundays.
It's how we live.
I want the people I work with to experience integrity, kindness, generosity, and genuine care.
And I want other women to know that they don't have to spend their lives chasing the world's definition of success to live a meaningful and influential life.
Because the truth is, the greatest influence we may ever have isn't always the kind that comes with recognition.
Sometimes, it's found in the quiet moments of obedience that nobody else sees.
My Story Is Still Being Written
If there's one thing I know for certain, it's that God isn't finished with me yet.
I'm still being molded, stretched, refined, and taught to trust Him more deeply.
I still have dreams and goals. I still love what I do professionally. I still believe God has opportunities ahead of me that I can't even begin to imagine.
But today, my prayer looks different than it once did.
I no longer want to simply ask God to bless the plans I've made.
I want Him to guide me toward the plans He's already prepared.
I don't know exactly what the next chapter will hold, but I know the One who holds it.
And that's enough.
If my story leaves you with anything, I hope it's this:
Don't spend your entire life chasing success only to discover that you missed your calling.
Seek God first. Surrender your plans. Trust His timing. And remember that the most beautiful things He does in our lives often begin when we finally release control.
I am not where I am today because I had everything figured out.
I am here because of God's grace, His faithfulness, and His perfect guidance.
And when people look at my life, I don't want them to see a woman who accomplished great things on her own.
I want them to see what an extraordinary God can do with an ordinary woman who is willing to surrender her heart to Him.
To God be all the glory.
Jewell Salazar is the founder and CEO of The Social Jewell, a marketing consulting firm based in the Austin, Texas, area. She is a wife, mother of three, homeschool educator, and Community Director of her local Classical Conversations community. Her greatest passion is following Jesus, raising her children to know Him, and using her God-given gifts to serve others.
