I Gave Up Full-Time Custody Of My Kids To Grow My Business

I Gave Up Full-Time Custody Of My Kids To Grow My Business I welches born and raised in a small town and welches the epitome of the sheltered Christian child. I played by the rules and expected good tidings to follow me all the days of my life. I had high expectations for myself and everyone else, which often resulted in harsh criticism when those expectations werent met.In the summer of 2014, my life started to crumble. I was on the cusp ofdivorce, a mother of three and pregnant with the fourth, with no insurance, and no immediate way to kooperation myself, let alone pay for a lawyer. Turns out, life wasnt as neat and tidy as Id hoped. Id been astay-at-home momfor 10 years and I found myself out on my own, pregnant, divorced and jobless.I started doing small jobs that paid, but not enough to cover the bills, so I had to make an excruciating decision. I refused to take my children out of their top-rated school, and instead I chose togive up full-time custodyfor 547 days. For a year-a nd-a-half, I only saw my beautiful children on holidays, vacations and weekends. For 547 days, I had to say goodbye to them every Sunday night. It was one of the most difficult things Id ever been through.I seized every opportunity I could to see them. I even got up at 5 a.m. to drive 45 minutes to their bus stop to see them off on the first day of school. I Skyped with them to feel like we were in the same room. It was traumatizing for me, and it hurts me to think of the impact it had on them.During those 547 days, I questioned my decision about my children every day. Thinking about it now still makes me uncomfortable and sad. I wish I could say that over time it got better, but the truth is it grew increasingly worse.The only good that came from it It hurtled me forward faster indeveloping my business, which was my key out of the situation. The quicker I could get back on my feet, building a business that would give me the resources to support my family, the faster the nightmare w ould be over.At that time the most Id ever made in a month was $2,500, which wasnt close to enough to care for my family. I remember wondering,how was I going to make up for the years as a stay-at-home mom and find the wherewithal to have a job that could keep me home, allow flexibility with nursing a child, and provide a good school for the kids?Most of all,how was I going to create the kind of stable income I needed to care for all of my children under one roof?Those were the questions I asked each evening while I was building my business, after Id worked during the day, and my children were with their father. In those 547 days, I had a baby, got remarried and built a successful business. By the end of 2016, Id made over $180,000 as a freelancerworking from home.So what exactly did I build that now provides me with financial stability, and restored full-custody of my children?I help people create financial freedom through digital marketing and online business strategies as the own er of Create Your Laptop Life. Im a consultant, coach, mentor, designer, marketer and sales funnel strategist all rolled into one. I teach business owners how to market themselves online, make money, and live big, bold, brave lives.I help women create financial freedom so they never have to make the kind of choices I had to make. My journey to financial freedom lasted 547 days, and Ill never forget the day everything Id been working for came to fruition. It started with a bulletin mainboard from my husband thats the size of my car. He bought it for me because I had a major meltdown around the time the kids were finally coming to live with me. I knew this meant that the house would soon be flooded with art projects and school papers.In a desperate effort to control everything about the transitionthe new school, town, routines and adjustment, I was hell-bent on a big new bulletin board to stay organized and needed everyone to agree with me, no questions asked. That board is, and will always be, a symbol of my new beginning.When I think about how frightened and unsure I was without my children, I cant believe Im running a company that supports my family, and others too. In the end, those 547 days got me where I needed to be to become a better parent and a successful businesswoman.For those of you who think the path from no business to a stable one is years and years away, let me tell you Its not. The key is to understand when its time to wait and when its time to act. You can do this.--This article originally appeared on WorkingMother.com.