Lifestyle

Fork in the Road

One professional woman’s journey from TOP OF HER GAME to GAME OVER and how she turned “YOU’RE FIRED” into “FIRED UP” by tapping into her natural entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to take on challenges with the savvy finesse that has come to define her career — and her life.
Text by Sandy Fernandez | May 8, 2018 | Lifestyle

It’s human nature to coast through life finding the path of least resistance. It’s not until we are brought face-to-face with tough situations that we are forced to react. When you concede that you’ve got to make a change and break free from the chains of monotony, only then can you get the heck out of your comfort zone and finally pursue your own passions.
When I found myself at this crossroads, I knew the choices: Either go back to a familiar corporate bank position or take a leap into the unknown. It was not an easy choice, but it was an obvious one. I felt the pull of wanting to pursue my childhood love of writing, while sharing my passion of yoga and Reiki with others. Yet a part of me also wanted the stability I earned in a 21-year career in banking. I knew that to have what I’ve always wanted, I had to do something I had never done.
Although at the time I held a position as VP & Branch Manager for a local bank, I knew deep down that I was no longer fulfilled, I was bored and unhappy. My desire for change was tearing me up inside, I was desperate to escape the grasp of Corporate America. For months, I secretly planned my exit as I had found a way to merge money and yoga. I drafted a solid business plan, created my website and social media pages, and I even ordered business cards. But I’ve always had this funny way of doing things — I ask the universe for what I want, and then when it’s given to me, I freeze out of fear and I don’t go through with it. But this time was different, this time the universe, in its divine brilliance, swooped in and give me the forceful shove I needed to get going.
One afternoon I received a text from my boss asking me to meet him at corporate headquarters the following day. “Sure, thing,” I replied. “Do you need me bring anything for our meeting?” His response was as cold as they come: “No, no need. See you tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.” I immediately knew something was wrong. I felt a knot twist in the pit of my stomach and I even dry-heaved. Twice. When I arrived the next morning, I was asked to wait in the conference room and that’s when the panic sunk in. OMG, I’m getting fired! What could I have possibly done wrong? This is horrible! A few moments later, my boss walks in with an HR rep. Yup, I’m getting fired! As they proceeded with their rehearsed customary corporate spiel, all I kept thinking was how badly I wanted them to get to the point. Eventually, they did, ending with a quite effective: “I don’t think we are a good fit for you, we appreciate everything you’ve done, but we’re going to have to let you go.”
I felt instant crushed. This was not my plan! As the sole breadwinner for my household and a single mom, I had two kids to raise, bills to pay and all our mouths to feed. But then the universe spoke to me and I realized that this was my plan. I was ready. When I got home that afternoon, with my cliché cardboard box full of personal belongings in hand, I let out a huge sigh of relief and my tears were replaced with joy and I was overcome with an overwhelming feeling of peace. The world was finally at my feet. I was being guided by divine intervention, my life was going to change and it was going to be awesome!
I immediately got to work. I flipped the switch on my life to live and in-color. I was on the phone making back-to- back calls, setting up morning coffee meetings, business lunches and afternoon networking sessions. It was all like a whirlwind of magic, the doors were opening and I was the conductor in a carefully orchestrated symphony of my life. Everything I had learned up to this point had led me to this moment.
Fast-forward to present day and I’m proud to announce that I’m the President & Founder of Karmic Currency: The Energy Behind Business & Finance. It’s my holistic approach to money. To many people, spirituality and wealth seem incompatible so I help them understand that money is much more than just currency — it’s more like a current that flows through our lives. When you learn how to understand your “money mindset,” you can unlock true abundance and live a life free of financial worry. I’ve gotten such an outpouring of positive feedback and such an amazing amount of interest in my new company that I’m currently working on authoring a book on the subject!
I now realize that the salary I was once given was merely a bribe to make me forget my own dreams. I finally have the flexibility to do the things that make me smile each and every day. It’s the blessing we all deserve, and a gift most of us overlook. They say that when you do what you love, you don’t work a day in your life — well, if that’s true, I haven’t worked a single day in months! The encouragement I’ve received from my peers has been overwhelming, but more importantly, it’s been an honor to receive messages from family, friends and former colleagues letting me know that I’ve inspired them to reach for the stars.
When it really comes down to it, I don’t believe that things happen by chance, I believe everything is a carefully curated series of events meant to lead you down a certain path. It wasn’t a coincidence that I began planning my new business months before I was let go. Although getting fired was not my finest hour, I now see the bigger picture, because I would have never tasted entrepreneurism otherwise. Sometimes all we need to do is get out of our own way to be able to achieve greatness. After all, why should we ever settle for an ordinary life when we’re destined for an extraordinary one?!