Deborah Iaboni
President
Iaboni Real Estate, Inc.

If anyone had told me 3 years ago that I'd be writing this article I would have told them they were absolutely nuts..

I was caught up in the labyrinth of the corporate business world - working for one of the largest real estate investment trusts in the country, responsible for leasing over 7 million square feet of retail space in a 5 state region - raising a teenage son, newly married and, in general, feeling like I had no control over my life.

When Cindy asked me to write down my 5-year vision it was as if a thunderbolt struck - all of a sudden it was there in black and white, staring me in the face - I had to make a change in the way my life was going in order to achieve true happiness, economic freedom and a quality of life that was vastly improved from the one I was currently experiencing.

My 5-year vision was the picture of my "perfect life" - one that would encompass career, motherhood, marital success, community service, exercise and gardening, just to name a few things.  Throughout my entire adult life I had always felt that I was lacking in virtually all of those things, except for a modicum of financial success.  Sure, I made a nice living and had a beautiful child to show for the last 13 years of my life, however I always felt as if I would wake up in the morning with one foot already on the ground, playing "Beat The Clock" all day long.

Today I have a different story to tell.  My husband and I are not only life partners but we are partners in a successful corporate real estate business,  we have a beautiful home with one of the most magnificent gardens imaginable, I volunteer weekly at a local school for the handicapped, I work out 3-4 times each week at a local gym, my son is thriving as a straight A student and football player, plus my annual income has more than doubled.

Was it a difficult decision to venture out on my own?  Yes and no.  Yes, because I had never been without the safety net of a regular paycheck and all the other perks that come along with working for someone else.  No, because I realized it was the only way that I could achieve the kind of happiness in my life that I so desperately wanted.  I had spent so long reaching for that elusive brass ring and suddenly realized that I had to stop confusing my net worth with my self worth. 

I have successfully carved a niche for myself as a Landlord's leasing representative for new development of retail space and now have clients and projects all over the country.  I still have to put my hours in each day, but my office is in a coach house behind our home so the commute is definitely one I can handle.  My son knows where to find me at the end of the day and dinner is always a family affair - and that, in a nutshell, is my definition of having successfully achieved my  "perfect life vision".  Thank you, Cindy. 

Deborah Iaboni
President
Iaboni Real Estate, Inc.
(847) 998-8535
deborah@iabonirealestate.com