**Warning: This is a long one... but a lot has happened over the past few weeks and it's a big life change, so you deserve the full story :)
"I have an announcement."
This is what I said two weeks ago as I walked into the audit room filled with 10+ of my fellow auditors. When a woman has an announcement, usually it's that she's pregnant. Well, that is not the case today... maybe 5+ years from now I will share that news with you. My announcement was that I had just resigned and will be leaving the firm in two weeks.... in order to follow my heart and pursue my passion for health, fitness, and wellness.
This was one of the most difficult yet the most easy decisions/announcements I have ever made in my life. Difficult, because I just graduated from college a year ago after spending 5 years in school and getting my Masters in Accounting and then spending another 6 months taking the CPA exams. Needless to say, A LOT of time, stress, and $$$ has been invested in my career as an auditor.
Undergraduate Degree - Double Major in Finance & Accounting
Graduate Degree- Master in Accounting
Oh yes... you get the hood and all.
But as difficult as the decision was, it was so easy at the same time because it just felt so right. When you know what you want to do in life and when you are passionate about something, you no longer question the risk. You take it. You go for it... knowing that if you love what you do... you will never spend a day "working" and if you love what you do, you will be successful no matter what.
When I chose my major to study in college at the age of 18, I really had no idea what I wanted to do. As far as I was concerned, you go to work to make money in order to do the things you love when you are not working. That's just how it was supposed to be. I never really thought that I could do something that I love as my career, and for that matter, I wasn't quite sure yet what I truly loved or was passionate enough about to make into a career. So with that in mind, I chose to major in business. In my mind, business equaled financial stability. And to make my decision even easier, I was good at accounting and made good grades in school so everything just kind of fell into place. Easy enough right?
Not really. In the middle of my earning my Master's degree, I created this blog... on a complete whim. Not knowing how much I would fall in love with it and anything related to health and fitness. I have always loved anything to do with staying active and healthy, but it never hit me that the health and fitness world is where I wanted to be/could be as a career. But, at that time, I was too invested in my accounting career not give it a shot. After almost 7 months as an auditor, I woke up.
I'm not at all saying I regret my experience as an auditor or majoring in business. I don't regret that for a second. Everything happens for a reason, and I have learned so much coming from the business school and my experience as an auditor in the corporate environment.
This just says it perfectly for me...
"In the journey of mind consciousness, the term status quo, “as things are”, is the term to describe the state of being when you are uncomfortable living in the service of someone else’s passion or purpose. You are focused on punching the clock, crunching numbers and meeting deadlines. Every action you take is to meet someone else’s standards or business vision in order to collect a paycheck, all the while feeling YOU have more to give, a bigger reason for being.
Its what I call living the Cubicle Life or the Quo Life because you're not the boss, good ‘ole Mr. Quo is your boss. I think of him as a very nice guy who provides you a Packaged Life for the priceless expense of your soul."
"For many people, the fringe benefits of 'comfort and stability' offered in the Cubicle Life package provide a perfectly satisfactory life. For others, living the Cubicle Life feels like a spiritual death, like each day has boiled down to a menial check list that feels like a series of giant milestones to get through each day: coffee, morning meeting, phone calls, meeting, lunch, water cooler chit chat, meetings, phone calls, crunching numbers, bureaucracy, punch out. Repeat"
It took me 7 months to realize that I had more to give and a "bigger reason for being," BUT I don't regret those 7 months at all... and this is why...
"There is never a reason to regret or look back on your years in the Quo Life. The Quo Life is creating for YOU the very circumstances that are showing you who YOU are. Mr. Quo is a wonderful asset to each of us, creating a perfect environment to birth a vision of your life overflowing with your passion, purpose, dreams and ambition. Why? Life is a process of elimination. You feel out Quo jobs and Quo relationships eliminating what doesn’t work over and over until you are so frustrated, so uncomfortable, so irritated, you exclaim, “I can’t live like this anymore!” And then your soul steps in and says, “I have been trying to get your attention!” And you are so exhausted, you finally listen and SEE your soul. Face to face with your soul, you might even glimpse how magnificent you are, how much greater your purpose on earth really is, and this is what is called waking up. Be grateful if you woke up. Some people NEVER do. Two things usually happen to people in this wake up moment: they shrink in fear, unable to accept the great light that is wanting to shine through them (suddenly the Quo life seems easier than being a light in the world) or you surrender and give permission to your soul to lead YOU instead of thinking (literally thinking) your way through life. It’s thinking that causes our feet to live in Quo Life. It’s knocking on the door of your heart that will help you step onto the spiritual path."
Well, like article says, I've "knocked on the door" of my heart and have given "permission to my soul" to lead me instead of "thinking my way through life." And I could not be more excited!!!!
So what am I going to do you ask?????
I'm going to work full-time for lululemon at the new store opening in University Park Village!!
(more details to come DFW friends).
My Mom and I soaking up the lululemon manifesto goodness. Love this wallpaper on the front of the new store coming soon!
The company's mission statement is "Creating components for people to live longer, healthier, more fun lives." How perfect...that's exactly what I love to do and what I try to do with this blog!
I will still be facilitating at Replenish Retreat in May (only a few rooms left if you want to join!), and I will also be investing more time in this blog. Now that's a whole separate post in itself... think new blog name, a completely new look, a logo, AND more posts for you!! The new blog is all in the works and should be rolling out very soon!
With all of this going on things have been quite the roller coaster for me over the past month, but nothing would be possible without the support of my friends, family, and loving husband. You know who you are, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Also, I must thank lululemon for the amazing opportunity to be a part of them team. :)
So that's my news!! I found some guts, took the risk, and I'm not looking back... not even for a second. The new life begins very soon, and I will be sure to keep you updated.
If you made it all the way to the bottom of this post, then thank you so much for sticking with me! I didn't want to announce that super awesome ridiculously exciting news and then leave you hanging without all of the decisions and details that went along with it. Maybe there is some one out there who is going through the same thing, and if that's the case, then I hope this post is helpful.
"No one can go back and make a brand new start.
Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." ~Unknown
Follow Your Heart
With Love, Health, and Happiness,
Cami
