Do You Have The Mentoring Advice You Need?

Sherli Looi describes herself as a business person who found herself in spite of success.

What does it mean to live authentically?

“Authentic living means “Believe in yourself.”  It means that you just are.   It means you just have to be.  Living authentically is a solid, peaceful place of confidence and freedom.  People used to say to me, ‘Know thyself, to thy own self be true,’ but the problem was, I didn’t know who or what I was.  Not knowing who I was filled me with debilitating fears.  It didn’t mean that I could not succeed.  I did succeed.  But I felt like a fraud.  I didn’t fulfill my potential.  Finally I reached the point when I respected myself for who I was.  Learning to live authentically is a journey.”

Sherli’s journey began in Malaysia where she was born to Chinese parents.   Although her mother wasn’t religious, she sent Sherli to missionary schools where she was exposed to Christianity.  “I loved listening to the Bible stories and going to Church.  I became fascinated by the concept of the Higher Self, our ability to become more than we are.  I read everything I could, especially New Age, occult, Tibetan spirituality, astro travel.  One of my teachers gave me The Third Eye, a book describing reincarnation, which captivated my imagination.  With reincarnation, life was a process. I believed that what I didn’t get in this life, I would get in another.  Something inside me believed there was more to life than just “from dust to dust.”

“When I was 10, I had an inner conversation. A powerful voice said to me, ‘If you are not Sherli, you still exist somewhere, somehow, under another name.  There is more to life than just Sherli, going to school and working.’ I searched for answers for a long time. Then I decided that I needed money and food.  So I took a job, but I never stopped feeling fearful or questioning, ‘Why I am this way?’”

“I worked hard and eventually became a VP of Chase in Singapore. Because I did a good job, I was rapidly promoted. I moved into the glamorous and lucrative field of foreign exchange. It was very competitive but it was superficial. I dealt with tens of millions of dollars every day.  I made lots of money and was successful, but what does it mean if you don’t know who you are?  You’re nothing.”

“After 14 years, my soul was dehydrated.  I quit and moved to California to become a massage therapist and esthetician. It was a pragmatic decision.  I didn’t want to work in the superficial corporate world anymore.  I loved helping people relax – a great satisfaction, not present in my high flying VP job.  Still, my search for answers never ceased.  I attended many self development seminars. I even walked on burning coals, but I never found the missing, final piece.”

How did you get that final piece?

When you are ready for the next phase of learning, you will be led.  Eighteen months ago I moved to Rochester, NY to pursue my MBA at the Simon School.  I actually found the final piece when I walked a labyrinth here in Rochester!  When I reached the Center, I meditated on why I was so fearful of failure, why I was so tormented about what I should do when I finish my graduate studies.  I allowed the energy to flow through me.  I listened to the voice that came through.  I knew my Higher Self was talking to me again. It said, ‘Reclaim your birthright’.”

“I sat with the message for a couple of days.  Still unsure what it meant, I prayed for guidance.  Guided to Google, I typed “reclaim your birthright” and was flooded with hits.  Asking again for guidance to the right website, I found one designed for battered women.  As I read ‘Respect who you are,’ I knew I found the answer. My energy shifted, and for the first time I felt an incredible alignment. The next morning, I woke up with a deep conviction that I no longer would take any shit from anyone because I respected myself.  No person, no circumstance could make a coward of me anymore.  I no longer needed to smile if I didn’t wish to. I would choose what I wanted to do and do it with a calm conviction.  I do not judge what I am; I just need to be. That is my authentic self. I found my missing piece. I honor what my Inner Self tells me.”

What advice do you have for our readers?

“Pray.  Pray as if you have what you want.  Pray wisely because you get what you pray for (except maybe for winning the Lottery!), but it doesn’t always come in the form you think.  Prayer is very powerful. For example, I prayed, “Thank you, Universe, for this mentor in my life who will help me in the ways you are guiding me.”  And the mentor showed up!”

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