If your answer is yes, I get you because I was there. Only 7 years ago, I "had it all" — or that's what it looked like on the outside. A highly prestigious job in the highest ranks of society (we're talking royalty), I drove a Jaguar to work, had 3 Ivy League degrees under my belt, and was pretty much "high-speeding" my way to the top on the highway of conventional success. My story is not unique; it is the story of whole generations of women who have been taught to focus their energy on "shiny" careers that are in no way connected to their deepest passions or curiosities. They think that happiness will follow. But it never does. In truth, the only thing collected is a sort of "fake happiness" that comes from external validation — "toys" and fancy cars we can call a million external "proofs" of your self-worth. These "careers" might bring in "prestige," but is that worth your true contentment? And they might offer a level of "power" as you make your way up the ladder and receive noble titles, but it certainly does not buy you the happiness earned by work that you nourish from somewhere deep inside your soul. Those who have reached the top and still feel dissatisfied already know this to be true. Without a true inner connection to the work you do, success — in the way you have been introduced to it in films, education, and society at large — is an illusion. Because power without joy, fulfilment, happiness, and true purpose is empty. This "illusionary" track might bring wealth as well. But trust me, the wealth that would follow from a calling that actually makes you happy is incomparable to the paycheck you receive in a world devoid of passion, even if you were CEO; in other words, even the money that many "career-driven" jobs promise will not offer the true riches you seek. The true riches of life, work, wealth, AND prestige are those that are aligned with who you are at the core of your being. And I'm not talking "woohoo" "— this is practical wisdom and it's your birthright to know you deserve this internal alignment with the work you do in the world. After all, according to a Gettysburg study, a typical human spends 90,000 hours in their life working. So might as well put these hours towards something that makes your heart sing. Ninety thousand hours of your own heart's song — now that's true success! The power, prestige, and wealth of the conventional path that is devoid of self-inquiry, passion, and purpose will empty you out rather than fill you up. And that's what so many people, especially women, are waking up to in today's world. Because women are particularly connected to their inner worlds: Their emotions, their inner voice, the wisdom that feeds all things from deep within. Like a mother "mothering" her child not just because it is her truest instinct but also because her soul has guided her towards this service to humanity's future. You are as much one being shaped by today's world as you are one who is shaping it. Therefore, it is your duty to wake up to your gifts and desires and never again separate them from the career you wish to pursue. All women deserve a career that comes from the inside out. That offers your greatest gifts to the world. Whether that be your people skills, your genius marketing wizardry, or your passion for all things travel (like one of my friends who launched their own conscious travel company and is planning trips all around the world), do the world a favour and make sure you do not sacrifice your joy for absolutely anything. — Madiha Bee is popularly known as the "Awakened Woman", Madiha Bee is a transformational coach whose liberation movement has enabled thousands of Arab women to break free from self-limiting beliefs and reclaim their sacred womanhood. Madiha is a highly qualified entrepreneur with degrees from top-tier universities such as Columbia, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Oxford. Her movement, "Awakened Woman," empowers Arab women to embody their true essence and understand the principles of feminine leadership, and has earned Madiha a loyal following. She has trained many celebrities and continues to be a key figure in the women empowerment sphere within the Arab world.
