It was 4 pm on the 4th of May 2017 and I was sitting in my office in Luxembourg awaiting the result of a vote that would determine the future of my career.

I was extremely unhappy in Luxembourg. I had no friends or family in the country and wasn’t a cultural fit to be able to make easy acquaintances with the locals and have a social life. Yet I didn’t see any other option than to go for Partner at the Luxembourg PwC office and to stay there. I’d worked relentlessly for months on the business case for my appointment in the position. For months I dealt with having my value constantly questioned. It was a stressful time. I got very little sleep in the weeks leading up to the vote, feeling mentally and physically drained. The Governing Board had already approved the decision and I was repeatedly assured the vote was merely a formality.

The previous night, I finally relinquished any effort to control the situation, it was out of my hands and I knew that what was about to happen was always meant to happen, no matter how difficult it may be to accept in the moment. If the resulting vote was negative, I was about to face a very challenging and uncertain future. If it was positive I would be stuck in unhappiness.

Just before 5pm, one of the Partners came to my office and asked me to come with him to the CEO’s office. I could tell from the way he held himself and his tight expression that something was wrong. Arriving at the office I was surrounded by Senior Partners. I was finally then told that by a hair, I had been outvoted. It felt as if the floor had been ripped out from underneath me. I’ve never seen grown men in leadership cry, but that afternoon, there were tears whilst they tried to find explanations for what had happened.

I rang my parents in tears from a combination of exhaustion and despair. They responded “isn’t that what you wanted? You can now go on with your life” and it completely took me by surprise! My mind was flooded with questions: why has this happened? What does it mean?

I received so many messages from the other Partners and my peers, expressing their shared shock and disappointment. I even found out they’d made the vote twice to make sure they’d done it correctly! I spoke once more with the CEO who then told me the process was at fault, it wasn’t at all a reflection of my suitability for the position. My business case hadn’t been properly communicated to certain groups and perhaps my capabilities weren’t as visible to them. If I was to hang on for another six months, he guaranteed me that a re-draw would be positive.

Within a week, the support for me to make Partner was overwhelming but I was exhausted, I was in limbo, and I needed some time to myself. I took a break and did a road trip in America from San Francisco to San Diego. With the open road ahead, space to reflect and the distance between myself and a country I had been so unhappy within, I made the drastic decision to leave the career I’d worked for my entire life.

I returned and handed in my resignation with no job lined up, no plans or lifeline, no country to call home and no friends with which to share this revelation. I had no answers either to any questions someone might have asked. It felt like I was at the foot of a mountain with no climbing gear and no idea how to get to the summit. Without knowing it, I stepped into a new life, starting completely from zero. It was like learning to walk again, rebuilding my life, my values and my beliefs from scratch. When I was leaving, the CEO said that vote had destroyed my career. Yet, I came to learn that they actually gave me the biggest gift and opportunity I’d ever had.

Six years later, I am the happiest and healthiest I’d ever been in my life. I am more fulfilled than I ever thought possible and what I had come to ‘believe’ would make me happy – career success and a fancy title – wasn’t the answer at all. It was within me and when I did the inner work and found a path that was authentic to me and my values, I really began to shine.

Everyone will experience unexpected turning points in their lives that seem to make no sense. A grievance, an opportunity loss, a relationship breakdown, company layoffs or any kind of curveball that life could throw at you. It feels as if you have to start all over again and can be extremely overwhelming.

However, I now see these points in life as blessings. They give you the opportunity to show and cultivate gratitude for what was, to learn, and then to begin to build the life you truly deserve. As the saying goes, “When one door closes, another opens.” While it may be difficult to see the silver lining in a tough situation, it’s important to remember that every experience, good or bad, presents an opportunity for growth and learning. Take the time to reflect on the situation and consider what you can take from it. Use this knowledge to make positive changes in your life and move forward with a renewed sense of purpose.

Remember, it’s not about avoiding challenges or setbacks, but rather about how we choose to respond to them. As the philosopher, Seneca once said, “The obstacle is the way.” Embrace the challenge and use it as a chance to rebuild and reframe your life in a new and positive light.