You are young, you can work the weekends.

I was told this by one of my superiors as I was working my ass off on a hot file. This was not a one-off incident, she repeated it every time she pushed our deadlines forward.

Of course, as a young lawyer, I was keen and eager to prove myself. But when your manager says something like this to you, it puts you down in a way that is hard to explain. Not only that she was making us work weekends, but she was also discriminating against young single people and that really pissed me off.

Just because I am young and single doesn’t mean I don’t deserve a break, to rest to have a life and maybe even get a life partner.

How was I going to meet anyone if I was working non-stop.

I didn’t leave my job as an EU lawyer because the job itself was not nice. Although it was challenging working on EU financial services, it was very stimulating and I had become an expert, so no matter what came my way, I was able to deal with it.

I left because over the years I lost motivation, because the work environment was not conducive of a fulfilled life.  The only way to find work life balance is to work in an environment that facilitates a lifestyle that is compatible with your life values.

But when every week, every day your boundaries are being pushed to the limits, and you are constantly trying to prove yourself or pick your battles, that motivation slowly fades away. Because it feels like an uphill struggle.

I left because the pain of staying was stronger than the pain of leaving.

The people we work with make-up 50% (if not more) of our experience and job satisfaction. And if that doesn’t work, then there is no other solution but to leave.

I did a lot of mindset work on myself, working with detachment, non-attachment, accepting that people don’t change and that I had to change the way I respond.

But it was simply not enough, I needed an injection of fresh motivation.

And to be honest, the weather in Brussels didn't help either.

Long winters, barely any sun and lots of rain... not helping at all. After 10 years in Brussels, I simply had enough.

The other day I visited my old employer, and it was a lovely day. I was happy to be there and see some of the people. Someone asked me if I would ever go back, and the answer was simply Yes.

I left in good terms, I could easily do the job for life, but would it fulfil me? That is the real question.

Now here I am on a new path, learning, sometimes struggling, but loving every single moment of the ride.

Watch this space. And if you want to follow my journey, subscribe to my newsletter here and follow my social media pages @mindful_connecting.

With loving presence,

Florina