In my first article to Thrive Global, Working the wait, I explored the opportunity the recent pandemic surge gave us to rethink our ways into the future. In a feedback, a reader pointed out she missed who was speaking behind the words. Who was I ten years prior and who am I thinking of becoming in 2030. She wants to see through.
Considering this, I understood my itinerary matters and felt motivated to open up. On this article I will investigate the pathway that brought me to 2020 and in the following one I will look into my personal approach to the coming years, in the hope that gives you some context and example.
My way to 2010
Ten years ago I was married to someone I met in 2004, during my academic years’ travels. A bachelor journalist, I was the only high school person I knew who did get a vacancy at the public university located in the capital of my state, the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). I recognised my paid by society studies were a privilege, so I had always tried from the beginning of my studies to find ways of giving back. I started at uni in 2002, by 2004 I was engaged in two research groups and one non-profit organisation.
In 2005, I saw myself involved with Cinema, having chosen this as a complementary education. Once more I associated myself with community service at a movie club, Cineclube UFMG, promoting free screening in two cultural establishments. In May that year, I enrolled for charitable work over again in Buxton, England, doing a one year voluntary internship.
The start of my professional journey
By 2010, I had much experience in serving but I had not employed my graduate years to make enough money or a career for myself. I had just finished my MBA in Marketing and was teaching Business English to high executives. One of my students once questioned me why was I not trying to find a way in the market to use the knowledge I had gathered so far. As I saw, I was trying hard, but my field was tough and salaries were too low in the city. I decided then, after having had close contact with so many successful people, I would look for something similar. I would seek success as they showed me what that meant: having a great job title, earning far above other citizens’ normal wages, investing on self-learning more than my pears, putting in more work than anyone in the same room as me.
I then got a marketing assistant job, whilst teaching to make ends meet. After that I applied for an analyst post and then ran after a manager position creating that for myself as well as a Marketing Department for a small business entrepreneur. I started sharing in a blog my experience working hard to build a place on my own. That brought interest from many students and professionals across the nation. The blog then became a voluntary project aimed at training people to do the same I was doing. Together we won three times The Topblog Brazil Awards in the Marketing category, in 2011, 2012 and 2015.
I was passionate but I could not earn as much as I wanted to. So in 2012, I went for a career change and started from scratch the work of a junior business consultant for a franchise company in Sao Paulo. Traveling thousands of miles, covering four different states and 70 cities from Monday to Saturday, on a non stop schedule. Being overly focused on work and growing in my course, I did get promotions every year. On the other hand, I stopped taking care of myself physically, emotionally and spiritually. I ruined my first marriage and, most tragically, lost myself in the way.
The turning point
2014 was a game changer for me. I ran into the book Thrive – the third metric to redefining success, by Arianna Huffington, at an airport in one of my countless trips. That changed everything. I began to question my decisions to not have a private life, nurture myself and my relationships and look for means to have a more balanced fulfilling present and future. In exchange for over achievements, I was heading burnout and an empty existence. I would no longer let that happen.
I started meditating, looking for courses with a purposeful approach as well as spiritual books. I met someone again and at that time I was not prepared to lose him. He was from a different city and state, so I moved there. My finances were a mess and caused me so much stress, thereupon I took control and made myself turn from debit to profit. I started seeing life from a complete different angle and how thankful I am I could come about Arianna’s words. Surprisingly, or not, I kept growing in my career also, at the same speed as before and I am still in the same company, today responsible for the Global Business Department.
The only thing I can say is, if you feel like me then, with a wrong ideia of what makes life tick and also want to thrive in all areas of life, instead of just nearly surviving, read that book, the content in this very platform and change your ways.
Take action right away.
Send me a direct message here if you feel I can be of help, I will respond. #Let’s Grow