Sara DiVello, author of Where in the OM Am I?, has
been so gracious and kind enough to agree to be featured on the blog for a
short Q & A. Below are some of the questions I asked her based on my
reading experience of the book and what I was curious to know. Let us know your
thoughts in the comment box below!
Q:
What led you to write this book and what type of response did you expect?
Sara DiVello: I feel like a lot of people are wrestling with the same questions I was: trying to figure out who they are, what they want to do with their life, and how they can find greater personal and professional fulfillment. I wanted to share my story so that others know that they’re not alone and that it IS possible to find your path, figure out what you really want to do, and go do it — and, in the process, find those greater levels of fulfillment. In terms of response, I hoped that my story would resonate with similar sorts of seekers—that it would entertain and inspire readers. Every time someone tells me that they identify with my story, my heart fills up with tremendous gratitude. In a few cases, readers have shared that my book inspired them to leave jobs that were making them really unhappy. That’s more than I could ever have asked for. If I have helped even one person find a path to greater fulfillment, then I’m a very happy writer.
Q:
What was your biggest challenge in transitioning from the financial industry to
the yoga world?
Sara
DiVello: It was interesting to leave the
security of my long-term career in finance, and by “interesting,” of course I
really mean “terrifying.” I didn’t like working in finance, but it felt safe.
It was comfortable.
Q:
In leaving the financial industry, what were some of the new challenges you
faced?
Sara
DiVello: I had a pretty much endless list
of worries: what would I do next? What if I wasn’t good at it? What if I
couldn’t find another job? What would people think? Would I be wasting my
hard-earned college degree? (I’d put myself through college so that worry felt
especially heavy.) And eventually, when I started transitioning into yoga, I
had an equally long list of worries about that.
Q: What advice would you
offer to those who aren't happy with their corporate jobs?
Sara
DiVello: Listen, this is your LIFE. Your
magnificent, wondrous, life—to fill with whatever and however you want/ My
mother died when she was only 54. I was still working in finance at the time,
feeling unfulfilled but powerless to do anything about it. But at a certain
point, I realized that if I didn’t start making some changes and really going
after what I wanted, my whole life might slide by and I’d have to live with the
regret of never having tried. I realized that I’d rather try and fail, than not
try at all.
Q: If you didn't have yoga as an outlet, do you think you
still would have left the financial industry?
Sara
DiVello: Yoga helped me burn off the
anxiety my high-stress job caused, and quiet my mind enough to reach more
clarity. It might have taken me longer without this tool, but I still hope that
I would’ve made the transition eventually. If
I hadn’t had yoga, it definitely would’ve changed what I transitioned into. The
other option I was considering cooking school. I still love to cook, but this
way it’s still just a hobby. I do wonder if I might’ve ended up going to
cooking school if I wasn’t into yoga, but I guess I’ll never know for sure.
Q:
How has your outlook on life changed since taking on yoga full time?
Sara
DiVello: One of the major
things that I didn’t like about working in finance was that what I did was very
abstract. I couldn’t see the direct results of my efforts. One of the greatest
things about teaching yoga is being able to help people—and seeing those direct
results. It’s incredibly rewarding when I see people leave in a more relaxed
state than when they came in.