From Corporate America to Holistic Healer

How did I start this journey? There comes a time in everyone’s life, usually somewhere in the mid 40’s after working years in corporate America, one starts to ponder what is his/her life’s purpose. For most, the question comes after children go off to college.

We find ourselves wondering what to do for the rest of our lives. Some may reconnect with spouses. Some wonder what they are going to do for the rest of their lives. Some wonder what their life purpose is. One day after my children went off to college, I remembered looking at my husband and thinking to myself “Who are you?”

After years of raising children and establishing careers, we forget why we married to begin with. There is a time after this period where many couples spend time together to get reacquainted. Then ext big question after this period is usually “now what? And what do I do with the rest of my life?”

During this point of my life, I was working as an Office Manager at a small non-profit organization. I had many responsibilities…recruitment, payroll, vendor liaison, and system developer, just to name a few. The job at first was fun, challenging and creative, but as years went by, it got tougher. Any creative thoughts I had to help the company grow or improve were squashed somewhere in the corporate system. I started to hear more “no’s” than “yes’s”. The job started to become a job…a paycheck…. some place to go in the morning.

The people I worked with were great, but the work place was chaotic and toxic. No one could agree on policies or systems. Does this sound familiar? Eventually I knew it was time to go when I felt that there was no satisfaction in the job, but the prostitute in me was addicted to the workplace, routine and the paycheck. I wanted to go but I was too lazy to start looking. I didn’t want to change my routine. I didn’t want to “groove” with new people. Many excuses, and yet I recognized my spirit was dying and I didn’t do anything about it.

Then the signs came…Normally, I am healthy person, going years without catching anything. By at the end of five years at the workplace I started to get sick…colds, flu, frozen shoulder, tendonitis in both elbows, 2 years of chronic yeast infections and numerous sciatic flare-ups. With each doctor’s visit, there was another medication or more physical therapy.

No one had the answers other than “try this med, it may help you.” I began to wonder what was going on. Medications didn’t help and my body was weakened. I didn’t listen to my body…and I stayed on the job…My body told me it was time to go….Where? How? The job had the right requirements, money, time, distance, commitment... I was so unhappy.

Through all these health issues I started to explore alternative healing, I went to school for Reiki, then Reflexology and to top it off with Energy Medicine. I learned to understand how everything we do affects us. If we do not learn how to process or recognize stress, we end up absorbing it. Eventually our body breaks down.

Eventually the universe answered my prayers. The company went through a change. Many positions were either downsized or eliminated. My position was downgraded. I was given the choice to stay in a demoted position with fewer hours. I thought long and hard about staying. I knew this was a sign to go. So the next day I gave two weeks notice. I left on Friday, September 9, 2006 and gave myself the weekend off. I opened my healing business on Monday, September 12, 2006.

I am thankful that the universe and my managers pushed me out of my job. My plan at the time was to stay another year before opening my business. The universe had different plans for me and suggested that I start it early. I listened…couple of huge breaths…and I took a huge leap of faith. I have never looked back.

Helen Chin Lui, Certified Reflexology, Certified Energy Medicine Practitioner and Reiki Practitioner.  Found and owner of the Healing Place, Medfield, MA. For a free, 30 minute consultation, call 508 359-6463 or visit her website at www.healingplacemedfield.com