Life & LifestyleRetirement

From Corporate to Purposeful Living

There comes a moment in all our lives wherein we must make the choice to wake up to our true, authentic nature or continue what I call “sleep-living”: Going through the motions of a monotonous, mundane life.

We have the opportunity to either live in the delusion that burnout and “climbing the corporate ladder” are the measure of success or begin accepting the value of life with mindful intention on wellness, connection, and resilience.

In 2021, I found myself in that very moment. I appeared to societal standards as a success story. As a survivor from a lifetime of trauma and abuse, I rose from having nothing to a corporate career, appearing on magazine covers, speaking at national expos, and even appearing on television.

I was making great money. I had job security and benefits, a great boss, wonderful coworkers, and a belief in the product I was selling. I’d achieved the American corporate dream!

The goal was always to focus on more: More sales, more money, more growth, all for another promotion. But that also meant existing in a perpetual state of lack, of never having enough. I began to experience stress affected not only my personal relationships, but also my mental and physical health.

I started having panic attacks and heart palpitations. My mind kept saying, “Push through, work harder, don’t show weakness.” But my body was clearly giving me a different message I was trying to ignore.

I wondered about climbing the corporate ladder. To where was I climbing, and who would I be when at the top? I began to feel my ladder might be against the wrong wall, requiring me to sacrifice more of my authentic self than I was comfortable with — my energy, my dreams, my inner peace.

The Great Resignation of 2021 was born from the year of Covid, which forced us all to slow down and come face-to-face with the awareness that living a life primarily focused on money, status, and power holds less weight when it could all be gone in an instant. The societally accepted illusion of an elderly death started to fade as we watched people die all around us.  Did I want to simply exist in a job? I started questioning the limiting belief of continuing to work my life away for the hope of a long-awaited retirement filled with happiness, travel, and adventure. I asked myself, “Is working to work worth the risk?’

The simple answer was no.

Noel with Client E 72
Using white sage to clear negative energy and setting an intention for the crystal bed healing & chakra balancing session.

So I left my corporate career to start my own spiritual care and healing business, empowering women to free themselves from the prison of limiting beliefs keeping them from living their best lives, awakening their spirit, and helping align their intuitive connection with the Universe!

Was I scared to walk away from my secure corporate job? Yes! Did I wonder if I might be making the biggest mistake of my life? Definitely yes!

Sometimes our intuition isn’t logical. The longest journey we make in life is from the logical brain to the intuitive heart. It takes a lot of courage to resign from something that seemed safe and to jump without a net.

But inauthentic living also has its price. My body, mind, and spirit were all giving me a clear message it was time to start down my true path. The term “resignation” in relation to a game means: An act of conceding defeat without being checkmated. What was I conceding in this game of life?

  • I conceded corporate for the gift of compassion and self-care.
  • I conceded busy-ness for the gift of balance.
  • I conceded numb living for the gift of connection.
  • I conceded mindlessness for the gift of mindfulness.
  • I conceded someone else’s dream for the gift of my own.
  • I conceded security for the gift of adventure.
  • I conceded fear for the gift of peace.

Spiritual growth is the ability to move past the fear of the unknown and, instead, find trust in the excitement and incredible power of the Universe. Earlier in my life, I had regrets and made most decisions from a place of people-pleasing. But I now have deep gratitude for my past experiences and am able to make decisions that are authentic to my innermost self.

Life is fun, especially in the unknown! It required me letting go of control, prioritizing my self-care, and focusing on what gives me meaning and purpose, bringing joy to everyday living. When I align with the Universe, I am always led to the best, most authentic version of myself. Even if I don’t know the outcome, it always ends up better than I could have ever imagined.

I stand today as a confident, independent, femme-powerful, and ambitious woman who is courageously following my dreams.

You too can achieve this goal.

avatar

Noel Koenke

Noel Koenke is a Wellset Select Practitioner and Natural Hormone Balancing Specialist. She has a master's degree in Spiritual Care, with over 15 years in Spiritual Coaching and certifications in Reiki and Crystal Bed Healing. NK Spiritual Care offers Crystal Bed Healing Sessions, Oracle Card Readings, and Soul Transformational Coaching Programs. Let me help you align with your true self. For more information on Noel Koenke or to schedule an appointment, visit https://www.noelkoenke.com.

Related Articles

Back to top button