I graduated from college in 2010 and went straight to the corporate world at the headquarters of a popular retail company. Even though it seemed like a dream job when I accepted it, I soon felt like I was trapped with no way out.
I was working 15-hour days at least 6 days a week. I was tired, had no time to exercise, survived off of junk food and caffeine, and had no social life whatsoever. What’s even worse was that it was all for nothing. I hated the job and the daily drudge of working my butt off to make someone else rich. I was impacting the company’s bottom line, but I wasn’t impacting anyone’s life for the better, including my own.
After four years, I had finally saved up enough money to step away from my soul-sucking job and take some time off to figure out what I wanted to do. Since I finally had time to spend with friends again, I spent my first few months catching up with my old pals, especially my best bud from college, Mario.
Mario was going through a really difficult period around that time. He’d recently broken up with his fiance and was passed over for a promotion at work. Things really took a turn for the worse when his grandfather, who had raised him, died suddenly. I felt like it was my duty as his best friend to teach him how to smile again, how to laugh in the face of tragedy, and how to figure out what his next steps would be. Mario and I met almost every day during those months even if it was just for a quick cup of coffee. I listened to him, and I did what I could to talk him through his feelings. I tried to help him put a positive spin on all of the craziness happening around him, and I researched self-care strategies that I thought would help him. At the time, I’d never even heard the term “self-care!”
Mario got through this tough time, of course, because he’s a rockstar! The experience was really life-changing for me because he actually told me I had a hand in helping him through the transition. He told me that he hoped everyone had a friend like he did who could help them find ways to care for themselves, even in the worst of times. And he also pointed out that I’d demonstrated the ultimate act of self-care by leaving my draining, unfulfilling job behind.
That’s when it hit me: It’s my calling to help people. We all have the potential to be the best versions of ourselves we can possibly be, but it comes down to prioritizing our own wellness through self-care.
And that’s what I’m here to help people discover!