Mindful ambitions
Climbing the career ladder, Ali Roff Farrar followed the typical notion of success. But when she trained as a mindfulness teacher, her career evolved in a way that she hadn’t expected – it was only when she changed her goal to serving others that she began truly serving herself
ILLUSTRATIONS: GETTY IMAGES.* 2018 GLOBAL TALENT TRENDS STUDY BY MERCER
Most of us link our careers closely with the modern definition of success – the aim is to achieve as much as possible professionally and financially. It was hardwired in me: my academic upbringing, societal expectations and our materialistic culture all taught me a ‘good’ career would serve me well. So, I went out and got it all –a prestigious job in finance, a fancy title and a high salary But I soon realised that success isn’t just about prosperity – my work lacked meaning and my work-life balance was nonexistent.