I remember telling my then-boss at the internet company I was working for in 2002 that I planned to do a yoga teacher training program and would need to quit my job. My very good paying job.
He looked at me like I was crazy, but I stayed cool. I’d expected this reaction. It was the first time for me that success was becoming something other than a dollar sign. And for people driven by said dollar signs, this looked like a huge step backward.
Of course, more than 20 years later, with a mortgage, two kids, and a bunny (ok, the bunny isn’t that expensive, but we like to count him as part of the family) I sometimes look back and wonder, what if I’d stayed at that company? The dollars I would have! Think of how successful I would be!
Or (checking my ego here) think of how successful OTHER PEOPLE would think I am.
But…I would never have met my husband. Which means I would never have had my two daughters. Which means we would never have gotten that bunny (again, for effect).
I also would never have met all my amazing students over the years, who didn’t know it at the time, but while I was technically the teacher, they were teaching me every day in class as well. Teaching me to be kind. To be patient. To have compassion. And to serve.
As the saying goes, you can’t take it with you. Because it’s what you leave behind that matters. And I would rather people remember me for the way I touched their lives than have a big pile of money.
