How one question changed my career path
A simple question during a work meeting changed the trajectory of my legal career forever.
One afternoon in the midst of a discussion about legislative amendments, a senior colleague asked:
“Do you know what’s ahead of you if you continue on this path?”
Until then, I had never thought about the what-if’s, or what lay beyond the daily routine of getting the job done.
The turning point in my career
As he started to paint a picture of postings to different government departments, promotions every few years (if I was lucky), and (if I was lucky and hung around long enough) achieving superscale (the pinnacle of accomplishment and recognition), I felt a growing sense of panic and unease.
I saw myself trapped in a cage, running frantically faster and faster on a treadmill that wouldn’t let me get off.
Even now, I can feel my chest constrict and my spine tingle remembering the vision.
That is when I knew I had come to a crossroads: should I stay or go?
If I stayed, where else could I go and what kind of role would be more fulfilling?
If I left, what did that mean about all my years of study and work?
What would my family and peers think?
Who would I be if I was no longer a lawyer?
My identity crisis
Deciding to quit without a plan B led to the biggest identity crisis of my life. It was a huge jolt to my system, as all the parts of my life I had taken for granted gave way with just one decision.
From that day on, I found myself between worlds, in a spiritual and emotional wilderness. I had left behind security, stability and prestige, but I did not know where I was going nor whether things would work out once I arrived. I was in strange territory, on a solitary quest for profound answers that were less of “What do you do for work?” and more to do with “Why do I do what I do? What do I really care about? How do I want to contribute to the world?” Uncertainty, anxiety, self-doubt, impostor syndrome, fear of failure, and fear of judgment were my constant companions.
“Nothing changes until you change”
I look back on my younger self and I say: thank you for your courage.
Today, I get to combine the transforming power of personal development, mental health, and trauma-informed recovery with my love of spirituality and my strengths as an introvert and highly sensitive person, to support quiet individuals to find their authentic voice and flourish in a noisy world – without feeling that they have to act extroverted or in ways out of alignment with their integrity and values.
During the pandemic lockdowns in Melbourne, I founded a Meetup community which acts as a safe space for introverts to connect, with regular in-person events around Melbourne and Zoom sessions. We focus on mental health, coffee/chai tea, nature walks, and being in low-sensory environments where the sensitive and anxious among us won’t get overwhelmed.
Four kinds of introverts I particularly love working with:
- The quiet achiever ready to step up to become a Quiet Warrior who speaks, leads, and acts decisively, using her quiet strengths and calm wisdom.
- The introverted entrepreneur and creative who longs to put their creative, brilliant selves out there, but fears being seen and judged.
- The professional migrant woman starting over in a new country and rebuilding her family life, career, and network from zero.
- The Asian “good girl” and high achiever conditioned to seek perfection and external approval, and who never feels she is good enough.
All these are past versions of me.
What I didn’t know then I know now, and I share my experiences with you so you don’t have to do it alone or feel there’s something wrong with you.
Schedule a Zoom call with me to have a conversation about how I can support you to become a visible and impactful introvert in a noisy world.
