10/11/2019

It has been cooking for a while... Some of you know, some of you don't, but I have officially launched my career coaching business. My newly launched website is www.svetaparilova.com.

I would love for you to check it out and give any feedback you may have. And also it would help me a lot if you spread the word. If you know any people who have successful careers and feel unfulfilled or burnt out and want to improve their situation, or who want to be better leaders for themselves and/or their teams, please let me know, I would be happy to get in touch with them to see how can I support them. 

I also launched my first newsletter, which is kind of my story :). I include it below in case you are interested. 

I am excited and nervous as I embark on something totally new (it has been a while since I did something as different as running my own business :)), so any support/feedback from you would be invaluable to me!

Warmest regards!

Sveta

********Oct 11, 2019*******

How I fell in love with my corporate job... and then QUIT

Last week I quit an absolutely wonderful job. Great pay. Excellent benefits. Nice people. Good hours (I was even able tо pick up my kids from school - who gеts that?!). It would seem like a no-brainer to stay there...

But this is the weird part: Two years ago, I would I have told you that this job was sucking the life out of me. 

I would have said that this place keeps me stressed by making me work at 150% capacity at all times. I would have claimed that it squeezes every last drop of energy, leaving none to take care of my health or be the mother I want to be… I would have said it felt like the Sword of Damocles was dangling over me. 

So what changed?

Remarkably. Not them. Me.

What I learned over this time is that it’s not the job that’s ever “sucking the life out of you.” It’s always you, willingly giving your life force to the job (and then feeling resentful). 

So two years ago I set out to finally take responsibility for my joy, fulfillment and productivity. Ironically, it was when I reached full happiness at work, that I knew it was time to leave. 

Not because my job was “bad,” but because I’m so happy to share what I have discovered during these last years. 

In short, I know that I can add more value to others by leaving and sharing, than by staying. Funny how life works, huh? 

The Backstory

I worked in a high-rise building in Manhattan, with a skilled and intelligent team of colleagues. My clients were interesting people. One may say I had a successful career: I grew my revenues, my title, my bosses appreciated and recognized me. I received accolades and good pay. 

And yet.. almost every morning I woke up in a flood of anxiety. 

My hamster jumped on his wheel of thoughts and started running, running, running: what do I have to do today, what if it doesn’t work out, can I manage this, I also have to do this for the kids, I am such a bad mom, I am missing them growing up and soon they will not want to deal with me, but I gotta get to work for an 8 am meeting, I will be late, oh crap!… and on and on… 

Living in a constant state of anxiety comes at a cost: my health deteriorated and my relationships and general well-being broke down.

The funniest thing is that you would not be able to see this if you looked at me. I kept it all together. I think I myself was not able to see the state I was in, thinking this was the normal way of being "in the corporate world".

In the fall of 2016 my husband gave me a present for his birthday. He said, “Please do not worry about my present - you will get to it when you are able to.” 

He saw that I literally had no spare mental capacity to think about one more thing. And I gratefully accepted it (even though it is not in my nature to miss giving presents, but at that point I had reached by limit). 

From that time, I continued on a downward spiral for a few more months, until I snapped. I decided that I could no longer do this and I wanted OUT. Just out. I didn’t care what would happen, where I would go and how would it look. 

But then… I stayed in my role for another two years. It’s not so easy to just change careers after almost two decades. I had achieved a certain status, I had a family, bills and a mortgage. 

When I coach people, this often comes up. Change is scary and fear can keep you stuck. 

However, the outcome of my extended stay was a blessing in disguise. It brought me to a crucial revelation. 

Here it is: Just because you feel burned out in your job, you don’t need to quit and uproot your life. At least not yet. I would even advise against it (quitting from such place would be like going from one "bad relationship" to another). 

You can find fulfillment and make an impact right where you are! No joke. Staying in the same position after my “snap” moment, I drastically improved my experience at work by changing my attitude, which shifted everything. 

It was totally possible for me to feel human in a corporate environment, to be truly connected to my colleagues and continue making a real difference for my clients without losing myself. Somewhat miraculously, toxic relationships started to change or disappear. I was able to be there for my kids and take care of myself. 

The reason I am leaving my job is not a knee-jerk reaction anymore. I know I can be content there. But I feel called to support those who still wake up to the hamster wheel of thoughts, who dread coming to work and who wonder, “Is this all there is?”

No, there is so much more!

And transforming your experience at work begins with becoming very clear about where you’re starting from. I have designed a simple, completely free tool for to begin making a change. It’s called The Burnout Barometer and it will help you get a deeper understanding of how your job is currently working for you, what keeps you going and what creates stress and whether you have a risk of burnout. It will also help you plan the first step towards feeling content and satisfied at work and beyond. Download your free copy here. And feel free to forward this link to anyone who you think may benefit from getting more clarity about their work situation. I would appreciate your help in spreading the word!

And I would love to hear from you how my story resonates with you. Drop me a line responding to this message. And if you want to receive further blogs and newsletters, please subscribe here.

With warmest regards and wishing you a joyful work experience!

Sveta Parilova has close to two decades experience in finance in New York and is a Certified Professional Coach. As a career and life coach, she partners up with mid-career professionals to help them get rekindled and renewed about their work/career, so that they feel less stressed and more joyful at work and at home, and make the impact they want.

Click here to schedule a Complimentary Discovery Session and learn more!

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