I’ve been an entrepreneur and a stay-at-home mom, and recently became an empty nester. Here’s how I figured out what’s next

Being a mother is a job that most of us do for at least 18 years straight. And it’s a 24/7 role that doesn’t let us take off nights and weekends. Then, provided that we‘ve done it properly, one day we’re out of a job. When our children grow up to become independent—as we raise them to be—we can feel alone and untethered. Imagine working at any job for 18 years and then being let go. How would that feel? I started my first business, a cake bakery in the Boston area, at 26. I built it steadily for seven years and sold it to two of my employees when I had my daughter. Three years later, I had my son, and then almost six years after that, I had my last child, another daughter. By the time my youngest was leaving for college, I’d been a parent for 27 years. When the last of my three children left for college, my house was quiet, and my to-do list shrank considerably. For many empty-nest moms, this time of life can feel lonely, isolating, and well . . . empty. Many wonder, “What is my purpose? What do I do now?” Parenthood is so all-encompassing that it can be hard to ask and think about what you want and what actions to take to get there. Here are the steps that have worked for me as I figured out the next challenge in my life: Step 1: Put pen to paper This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at how easy it is to miss this step. You can generate a lot of ideas in your head, but writing them down exponentially increases the likelihood of doing them. Get out a pen and paper and go old school and actually write it. Call it: “Things I Want To Do.” Treat this like a brainstorming session. Nothing is off limits. Nothing is too big or too small. In fact, these entries can be small, medium, or large. Small would be something like: Try sushi. Medium items might include: Sign up for a yoga class. And large would be things like: Go on a trip or find a volunteer position. Keep this list handy and add to it. What’s most important is letting your mind wan