Don’t Stop Believing – A Look At My Journey
Written by: Chrysanthi Vazitari, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
If you know me, you’ll know I love a good music reference. Hence the title for this article. Even though I never stopped believing, there were times in my life that made my journey a bit difficult. But let’s take it from the start…
During my 20s, I realized that I wasn’t anywhere near the “dream career” everyone was talking about. I was really unsatisfied with my career, even though I managed to accomplish a lot of things at a really young age. That led me to experience burnout, an experience that lasted almost a year. Imagine it as a year of many sleepless nights, a constant lack of energy and the permanent feeling of exhaustion. The prolongation of that feeling caused a great deficiency of vitamins, extremely high levels of cortisol, which led to health troubles. Imagine that…
You might wonder… “Why didn’t you get some help?” Honestly, I don't know. Nobody told me that what I was experiencing was not normal or that it was burnout or it was due to the long dissatisfaction from my lifestyle. I was so overwhelmed with everything, I thought that giving time, till I somehow have an epiphany on what I want to do with my life, will be the solution.
Of course any action, even applying for a job, felt like another element in my to-do list.
My usual excuses were, among others:
"There are things more important right now",
"You can do this later",
“But I don't want to change my job for another similar position”
“This is all I have done for the past few years, I don't know if I can do anything else” and many more negative and no-cannot-do thoughts. But later was never coming, so I said f**k this Chrysa... just do something!
So, in 2020, I took a leap and decided to study something, so I started a coaching training. I always loved psychology, I was always curious about people and I do love helping and boy, I fell in love with it. I said “that’s it”. Coaching gave me an opportunity to align my values with my needs and make them a priority. Of course, very soon the next new thing came up. As I am a free-spirited person, being an entrepreneur, was something that I had been desiring since I can remember myself. From my first sales of handmade paintings when I was 5 years old, to my small stress ball shop back in the elementary years. (yes you can imagine what they looked like).
Therefore, I had to take some uncomfortable decisions and ofter work harder than before! I started saying no to gatherings or invitations and I channeled my focus on growing for once. Trust me... Many times I was tempted to just give up, still am sometimes, and get a job in the field of my comfort zone BUT my vision for the career identity I wanted to build was stronger than ever. Just a few months later after taking my certification, I quit my job and two months after that, I got my first big coaching job with a multinational company. The rush you get when you start something new, especially something that you wanted for so long, is truly indescribable.
One and a half years later, since I decided to take an action, I have worked with more than 180 people from all over the world, delivered around 40 workshops/trainings, challenges and learned so many more new things than I ever did in the 5 years of my "corporate" life. My journey finally started to mean something. After all, it’s not the destination so much as the journey.
Of course, all of these would have never happened if I didn’t ask for help. If “you can do this later” didn’t become “you need to do this now, for yourself”. My dream is happening because I stopped and grasped my needs for once. I invested in myself and decided to finally build the life that I wanted! I am still building it of course, but it all happened when I CONSCIOUSLY DECIDED to take a bet on myself and start becoming the Chrysa I always dreamed of.
If you should take something from my journey, it is that you should start feeling comfortable with being uncomfortable and always know that you can ask for help. Because of that I now help other passionate professionals to Grow & Glow their careers with my unique and fun programmes. Maybe I can help you too! So, don’t stop believin’!
If you are seeking clarity, career satisfaction or to pivot your career, I am your person. Book a discovery call here.
Chrysanthi Vazitari, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Chrysanthi is a certified transformational coach working with multi-passionate and highly energetic professionals, who try to get career satisfaction, advancement or who want to completely pivot their careers. Chrysa has successfully pivoted her career three times already, from an educator to communications advisor in big corporations and is now an entrepreneur/coach. She is the founder of Career Grow & Glow and the co-founder of GrowthUP coaching. Her coaching method is the ACC: Awareness ‒ Clarity ‒ Choice (by CMA) in combination with somatic/embodied and cognitive-behavioral elements. Of course, there is constant change, as she doesn't rest and keep incorporating new methods along the way!
