Chapter Three – Or Why I left my Corporate Marketing Job for Yoga
One morning in January, 2018 I awoke with this thought: I’m going to leave my job a year from now to focus on teaching yoga. A great thought no doubt, but was I really ready to make that change? After co-founding and selling a start-up; working in various marketing management positions; and, serving as a marketing consultant, it seemed almost certain that I would complete my business career and retire in this field. I enjoyed the challenge the work brought, the people I worked with, and the business associations I cultivated. But something was missing. There was a kernel of change growing inside of me on that January morning. Somehow, I sensed that the next chapter in my life would be quite different.
Life Chapters
As I look back at my life, I see it in certain chapters built on personal experience, tragedy, and/or educational opportunity, followed by a need to move forward in a new direction. Why chapters? The word chapter is defined as “a distinct period or sequence of events, as in history or a person’s life”. This description fits the way I now look at those significant moments of my life. There is a distinct turning point that defines the beginning of each new life chapter. These chapters are woven together by opportunities presented and an inner voice calling.
The first chapter began after college graduation, a new job, and shortly after, the death of one of my good friends. It was adulthood - a time of learning and growth, both personally and professionally. In an article in Psychology Today , Dr. Srini Pillay notes “You can’t have a turning point if you keep doing what you’re doing”. During these years after college with my first couple of jobs, I learned what type of work motivated, excited and challenged me and what didn’t.
At almost 30 years old, the second chapter began to unfold. This quote from Richard Branson, “Turning points, while they often come from moments of darkness, can steer us in the direction of great light….” captures a pivotal point during this chapter in my life. I experienced a five-year rollercoaster of big changes and strong emotions starting with the birth of my son, then the death of my first husband, and finally completing graduate school. I took a chance with a business partner and we started a software business back in the days of the Internet “bubble”. Our company survived for 10 years because of our employees’ dedication, hard work, and a lot of luck. After the company was acquired, I focused on my marketing career.
But seven years after selling the startup, my son died suddenly. My world completely crashed. As I began the slow grief journey, yoga became an integral part of my life. I was balancing my marketing career with my growing passion for yoga. But a marketing career wasn’t feeling right anymore. What really made me happy was using my knowledge and experience to serve and help others. In 2016, I completed a 200-hr. yoga teacher training program, and, without knowing it at the time built the foundation for Chapter Three.
It’s Not Retirement – It’s Chapter Three
In a very insightful article in The Atlantic, Arthur C. Brooks writes about the stages in a person’s work-life and how “work peak” is much earlier than people think. We have all seen how athletes end their careers typically in their 30’s but what most of us don’t think about is how professionals peak around the age of 50 and work production typically follows a slow decline from there. What resonated with me in the article was his description of a conversation he had with Indian guru Sri Nochur Venkataraman about the stages of life according to Hindu teaching. The third stage called Vanaprastha, which means “retiring into the forest” begins around age 50. Brooks notes that this doesn’t mean you stop working but that it is a time to “purposefully focus less on professional ambition, and become more and more devoted to spirituality, service, and wisdom.”
Did I retire in April? From the standpoint of Social Security – no. Could I characterize this as a career change? Maybe., but it doesn’t feel that way. Such nomenclature doesn’t really fit what I’m doing. So, back to Life Chapters, or ashramas as the stages are called in Hinduism. That January morning when I awoke realizing that I wanted to leave my corporate job and teach yoga, I unknowingly started moving toward chapter three. The desire to help others experience the benefits of the practice is what motivated me to make the move and what continues to motivate me every time I step on my mat. Yoga has changed my life since that worst day seven years ago. And now it’s time for me to be of service to others.