Career Change

Some years ago I was working as a software developer and I was unhappy with the type of work I was doing.  I wanted to work in holistic health and the change seemed scary and unattainable.  It took a long time to figure out what type of therapy I wanted to do and how to get the finances in order.

​I went over and over the fact that I had a good job, that it was well paid, and that it was somewhat secure.  Also, leaving a profession that requires constant learning is hard because after a while of being gone from it, it is hard to go back.

​Financial security was essential for me to be able to move forward.  I would always have thoughts along the lines of, “I am alone here and I have to take care of myself.”  I quickly realized that this thinking kept me stuck.  In fact I found out that it was not that hard to live more modestly than I was used to before the transition.  This was a time when I learned that giving was essential.  I promised myself that I would not become closed to being able to give just because I did not know how I would be able to make it financially in the future.  That helped me tremendously because it created a sense of abundance where I could give and receive easily.

​Leaving my job involved a whole process of preparing myself to be courageous enough to let go of the security I had and step into the unknown.  In the process there was a lot of unexpected support and a lot of learning about myself.  For instance, at my company, there was a woman who was training to become a career coach. Coincidentally, she was also preparing to change her career. Somehow we connected and I opened up to her, telling her about my long-time wish to make a major change in my career.  She said that it would help her to work with me and she wouldn't charge me, so I agreed to do so.  The thing that helped most was realizing that in order to have the courage to move forward, I had to leave behind the doubt in my ability to work through what I was thinking would be the challenges.  A lot of the questions she had for me were at first met with, "I would do this but I don't think I can".

​I wasn't even aware how prevalent this response was until she suggested to just put down on paper what I wanted to do without worrying about how to get there.  It was almost as if a weight was lifted and we were able to have some clarity as to what I really wanted to do.

​It was essential to let go of my doubt in myself.  In retrospect, a lot of the things I feared were not an issue or they were not so major.  Right now I am really grateful for my new career, for the things that I learned and, most of all, for my spiritual practice which helped me connect with my inner strength.