A career with meaning

What do you do, when you find yourself thinking about making a career change, and you’re not sure which direction to take? This longing for more meaning and purpose has been brewing inside of you for a long time, and because of your life circumstances, you dismissed the notion to take action, as that would not be the responsible thing to do with all of your family obligations. Yet, this nagging, this calling, to step outside of your internal box of comfort, and take a leap of faith into the unknown feels terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Where do you start?

One of the beautiful things about having a revelation like this is it starts to get your creative juices flowing and you start to notice things that weren’t there before. Maybe you sign up for a class you have had your eye on, or pick up a special book that looks interesting. There’s a creative force within you to step outside of your comfort zone and lean in to a new situation, even if it’s just tapping your toe in the water to feel the temperature. The more you do this, the more the internal flame is lit with optimism and courage. The lens in which you see things goes from being foggy to having clarity. Rather than asking yourself, Can I do this well? Will anyone notice me? You can see things differently and ask: Will this be meaningful to me? Can I learn from this? Will this stretch me, and make me happy?

It’s in the peak moments of life, in hindsight, that will show your true potential. Think back to a time when you exemplified and excelled in a project in work, a charity cause you were involved in, a school project, a family obligation, where you went above and beyond your perceived limits to get the best possible outcome, no matter what. You tapped into that unstoppable you, that was always there, but you kept it safely tucked away, so not to upset anyone or make them feel uncomfortable.

I had one of these peak moments when I was involved in a charity fundraiser walk for breast cancer. It started out as a fun project, got together with a group of friends, whose hearts were tied to the cause as they just witnessed my journey through cancer and survived. So what started out as a fun way to celebrate, raise money for a good cause, became a breakthrough moment for me. Because of the almighty force within me, fueled by my gratitude for life, the kindness of others, (including my group of walking buddies who were my biggest cheerleaders), I took on a new role and became a fearless warrior. I began to share my story with strangers, businesses and friends, and in doing such, helped raised over $18,000 for breast cancer research. My story, and my passion for life fueled my purpose. If I had defaulted back to my old, logical way of doing things, this would have seemed impossible and downright stupid to do. But what this event taught me is that when you are open, genuine, and passionate about you’re purpose, people gravitate around and support you.

I have taken what I learned from this experience and use it in my daily practice, helping others live an authentic life, finding work with meaning, having relationships that matter and enjoying life. Stepping outside of my comfort zone, paid off big time. And, in fact, helped me discover my true potential.

It’s likely that you have one, two, maybe three, peak moments in your life where you pushed the envelope and surprised yourself. It will be something that you feel incredibly proud of and brings a huge smile to your face. That’s the “Eureka!” moment. Find it and use it for the rest of your life, and you’ll soon find that your meaningful work will find you!