# Embracing Impermanence: Rethinking Your Career Journey
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Chapter 1: The Journey of Transformation
Reflecting on my experience during a silent retreat last year, the instructor cautioned us, “These ten days will drastically alter your life, even if you don’t follow the suggested meditation practices. The impact will unfold over the coming months.” At the time, I was skeptical, believing that without practice, I wouldn’t see any change. I was mistaken.
After dedicating a month to meditation, I embarked on a six-week journey across Asia, reducing my practice from two hours to just 30 minutes daily, and sometimes even less. This led me to question whether I would lose the benefits gained during the retreat. However, I still notice positive changes in my physical health, sleep quality, mindfulness, and interactions with loved ones. The retreat genuinely transformed my life and my perspective.
Section 1.1: Insights from Buddhism
A fundamental teaching of Buddhism that resonated during the retreat is the concept of impermanence. Everything is in a state of constant change. This principle asserts that all things, whether they are physical or mental, are temporary and subject to evolution. Impermanence is not only evident in major life events such as birth, aging, and death, but also in the subtler shifts within our thoughts and feelings. Acknowledging this reality can be both freeing and daunting. By accepting the transient nature of life, we can detach from our desires.
Subsection 1.1.1: Rethinking Career Trajectories
For years, I envisioned my career as a straightforward progression:
Marketing Intern → Marketing Analyst Jr. → Senior → Coordinator → Manager → Director, with limitless potential beyond that.
At 24, I encountered a life-altering opportunity: leaving my job in Brazil to start anew. “What about my aspiration to become a marketing director at a major company? Or to work in an agency and win a Cannes Lion award? Where is the linear path I’ve been constructing all this time? Why would I abandon Humanities for STEM?” Despite my uncertainties, I embraced the chance and moved to the U.S. to pursue a degree in computing. Initially, I felt impulsive; in hindsight, I recognize it was a well-considered decision. “If it doesn’t pan out, I can always start again.”
Making the leap required significant mental fortitude as I left behind a stable income—though nothing is ever truly stable—to become a student, earn a scholarship, and return to an internship role. Throughout my master's program, I perceived this shift as a setback in my career path. I was mistaken.
As time passed, I discovered that a non-linear career can be just as fulfilling.
Section 1.2: The Beauty of Career Movement
If, as Buddhism teaches, we are in a state of constant change, how can we expect our careers to be perfectly linear?