I woke up and groaned. It was a Monday, again. My calendar was choc-a-bloc with meetings and presentations. I dragged myself out of bed, looked at the figure in the mirror, and started crying at the sight of the tired face with sunken eyes and slumped shoulders.
Prestigious education degrees, dream campus placement followed by impressive lateral movements, and a high-profile corporate job with a seven-figure salary. I was a successful professional by the world’s yardsticks. Yet I was crying like a loser in my bathroom.
‘You haven’t slogged this long to spend your days on autopilot. You have not come so far to not have time for family and friends,’ said a voice in my head. This time I didn’t silence it.
I was disenchanted and disillusioned for the last few years of my corporate career. The voice in my head had been goading me to change my life’s direction. But I felt trapped. This career was what I had aspired for, was good at, and what I had done all my life. I had no hobbies and passions.
While I loved my husband and daughter, my work was my identity. I was afraid of losing this identity and the associated independence.
‘Then be prepared to spend Mondays waiting for Fridays for the rest of your life,’ the voice in my head whispered.
“No,” I screamed, wiping away the tears streaming down my cheeks, and shouted, “I want to wake up with a smile every day.”
That day I gave my notice at work. “You have lost your head,” people said. For a change, I didn’t listen to them. I was willing to incur the sharp pains of self-discovery than endure the dull ache of listlessness for the rest of my life.
That was a year ago. Today I get up from bed early in the morning and enjoy two newspapers at leisure while sipping tea on my scenic balcony. I have the privilege of choosing the people I work with. I enjoy doing what I do, and work doesn’t feel like work.
So, how did everything change? How did I find my direction and make a successful career pivot after losing myself?