My story
For years now I’ve been reading stories about people that had a sudden and extreme change of career. They would go from corporate to agriculture, from employee to entrepreneur, from safe to uncertain. And I always thought that was brave but surely premeditated. I was convinced they all had a plan and some financial resources when they started. They must’ve! How else can you do it…
Until it got me. All it takes is one moment when you zoom out and you see the real quality of your life. I was unhappy and I felt like I did not belong in my story. The long hours, high work volumes and the conflicts around brought me to a state of almost constant fever. My body was crying for a change and so was my heart. Something did not fit.
Redefining success
So I looked back, and I saw that was a pattern. I worked very hard in almost every job I had. My first job was in PR, then freelanced during my master’s degree, to decide after marketing is more my thing. I worked in SMBs, in start-ups, in corporations and in an agency. Every time I changed a job, I also changed the industry, wanting to discover as much as possible.
I took on challenges wanting to learn faster, but also to prove myself I can do it. It was fun at first. The rush of a project delivered after pulling an all-night to meet the deadline, the appreciation for the effort…all is so attracting. And then your batteries start to notify you they are running out. Ohh, but that is not when you stop. That is just when you start getting frustrated. You stop when you learn that success is not about sacrifice, but about self-knowing.
I decided to quit my job on a Thursday afternoon, after a crazy day. My glass filled to the point it broke and spilled. I knew then I had no choice but to make a change. Then and there, not when X or if Y. I added no condition to my decision. With no backup plan, no safety funds, no other job waiting I took a jump. Maybe because I was confident in my experience or because I felt I reached the bottom, I handed in my resignation without fear or hesitance. After almost 11 years of work, I decided I will stop for a while.
Looking but not looking
When my notice ended, I left the company and freelanced. I was “looking” for a job but I didn’t really want to go back to the crazy work situation I had so far. So every time I saw on a job description words like “enjoys challenges”, “works well under stress/ pressure” or a list of requirements as long as a shopping list for Christmas I would just skip it. So I skipped through all jobs and hoped one would just come to me.
And one did. In December I was doing some research for a client I was consulting for, and I found a page about marketing coaching. It instantly lit up. I felt it in my stomach and I hit euphoric on my mood meter. I always loved working with people, I am a certified trainer and coaching felt like the natural direction to grow. What I found was better than a job: I had found my way.
I love Coach4Marketing because it gives me a lot of freedom to do things my way, to transform marketing into a mindset, more than a service. I coach individuals, even if we deal with organizational issues, and that adds a whole new dimension to my work. Progress is easy to track, I meet new fascinating people almost daily, and I learn more than ever before by just doing what I know best.
All my life, personal or professional, I took care of those around me. I listened, supported and went the extra mile. It’s deep in my nature. And finding a way to put that into a business model is an amazing feeling. I am honored that I get to stand by people in achieving their dreams, because turning mine into a reality changed my life.
