From Lawyer to Lightworker

I know how good it feels to follow your heart. The feeling was undeniable the day I quit my job as a lawyer at one of Canada’s top tier law firms. I worked hard to get to where I was, but I had to release the attachment to the time, money and effort I invested into getting to that point. What gave me the courage to do that? Inner strength, support  from my family, friends, peers and the Universe.

So there I was, articling to become a corporate lawyer. From the day I started, I had a feeling that it wasn’t the right place for me. I would go home drained of all my energy. It was affecting my relationships, with my self and with others. I was only excited to start my day if it was a Saturday or Sunday. That’s only 2 out of 7 days of the week, approximately 8 days a month! Puts the adage “life’s too short” into perspective. I began to realize that if there are people out there happy to start every single day of their lives because they were living their passion and according to their purpose, then why shouldn’t I?! As soon as I came to that realization, the power of the Universe presented itself to me in full force, as if it was just waiting for me to come to that realization on my own so that it could provide me with the support I needed to start living my dream life.

I came across synchronicities every day from that point on, each one confirming that I was making the right choice, each one bolstering my faith in Divine Guidance. Here’s one, powerful example. One of my files involved the surname Walton. I had been reviewing this file for the past 8 months, almost every day; however, it wasn’t until after I made the decision to leave the practice of law that I realized that Walton backwards spelt NOT LAW. I was in my office talking to one of my best friends about the synchronicities that were showing up when the words just seemed to jump out of the page at me!

The next step was to formally resign. Cultivating inner strength through meditation and spiritual learning allowed me to speak my truth, to stand up for what I believed in, to follow my heart and to be who I truly was even in the face of people who thought they were looking out for my best interests by swaying me from my path. I had others telling me that I had a bright future ahead of me in the practice of law, that I would be “successful”. Little did they know that “successful” to me didn’t just mean a healthy bank account. It included fulfillment and joy, something I definitely wasn’t experiencing in my current situation. “What about all those years you spent in school? The time and money you spent getting your degree?” Well, what about it?

Attachment is a dangerous, dangerous thing. If we remained attached to the past, afraid to let it go even though we knew it just isn’t working for us anymore, we would never move on. We would never change. We would never evolve. For some people, that’s ok. Not for me. Never was, never will be. I refuse to settle for anything less than joy. I realized this at the ripe age of 20. I had already been in a long-term relationship for 4 years when I realized that I was settling. I was content, it was familiar, but I wasn’t truly happy. Although marriage wasn’t on the radar yet, I felt the need to make a change. I tuned into my heart. It told me not to wait it out, but instead that it was time to leave. It was hard, but your heart always knows what will bring you true happiness. How did I know I was in an unfulfilling relationship? It didn’t inspire me. I realized that if a relationship, a job, a situation, doesn’t inspire you, it’s time to find one that does. Inspiration is a gift; our compass to finding true fulfillment.

Giving up attachment to the past, getting over the fear of being “alone”, opening myself up to new experiences led me straight into the arms of my soulmate. My current relationship with my husband inspires me every, single day. I couldn’t have dreamed up a more perfect partner for myself if I tried. Open yourself up and Universe will give you exactly what you’re looking for, or something even better.

So, I formally resigned and felt like I was on top of the world! Setting out, unknowing of where I was headed was an exhilarating feeling. I truly felt like the world was my oyster! The fear of living with uncertainty can paralyze you or it can propel you forward. I chose the latter. There’s much power in our freedom to choose and I had to do some serious inner work to be able to be courageous enough to make that choice. I still had student loans to pay, an upcoming wedding to pay for, but instead of wondering how it would all happen, I just said YES to the Universe and let the divine plan unfold before me. The key was to let go of my need to control everything and that’s coming from an “A-type lawyer”. I even had to let go of aspects of my personality that I was hanging onto, including being an “A-type lawyer”. We are a product of our what our ego wants us to be, but only if we let it. So I stopped controlling even my personality, who I thought I “was” and fully opened myself up to learning all I could about my Self, that is, my true Self. Every day has been magical. I am discovering new things about my Self every, single day; things that are way more inspiring than being an “A-type lawyer”, “organized”, “punctual”, etc.

Rather than be regretful of my decision to study law, I am quite the opposite. I am absolutely grateful for the opportunity and learning that led me to where I am right now. And where I am right now is in a place of pure joy, happiness, fulfillment and freedom. Lightworkers.org defines a lightworker as any being dedicated to the cultivation of inner presence and the elevation of awareness in self and other selves.  Just reading that definition makes me feel wonderful; how I feel when I’m actually living it is indescribable.

When you choose to go where the wind takes you in the hopes of finding fulfillment and joy, life can change at the drop of a dime. Just go with it! Remember that tomorrow isn’t promised and in reality, why waste any time? There’s so much the Universe has to offer, but only you can make the decision to seize the multitude of opportunities there are to live your dreams.