We all have things that get our juices going. Yet very few of us know what they actually are. Do you have to read this again? Yes, it is a paradox too many of us carry. If I had a dollar for every person who said they wanted to do something different in their work life, if only they knew what it could be – I would be quite rich. So how do you solve this question?
Let me start by saying that we don’t all have to do work we absolutely love. Plenty of us aspire to do fulfilling work as our purpose. But we can get our fulfillment from many other places: our family, community to name a few. So work does not have to be the answer to our quest for fulfillment. It’s totally OK to be at work just for the money, as long as we find fulfillment else where.
Now if you are sitting here looking for a job that gets you up in the morning with a spring in your step, allow me to share what I have observed. Firstly that we all have unique talents and interests, whoever we are. I have seen many different women, from all backgrounds, come up with something that excites them. So I’m declaring it a fact based simply on numbers. Which makes me say that if you don’t know what it is, there are ‘free radicals’ floating in your way. It is not that you have nothing special you are drawn to.
So why are you not seeing it? The main reason I have observed is because we are not allowing it. We are exerting some kind of pressure – through thinking mainly – to find it. Or the minute we catch a glimpse of it, we leave the steering wheel to our inner critic with its long list of reasons to ditch that idea. Sometimes this happens so fast, that we aren’t even conscious of it. So we say ‘I don’t know what I want to do’ when asked. We actually DO know, but we are not letting ourselves hear it.
Another reason why we are not perceiving the clues to our purpose is that we don’t create the space for it. We run a jam-packed schedule, doing tasks around the clock for other people, and browsing social media in our down time. Does the latter bring us closer to our purpose? In my experience it’s the polar opposite. It fuels our uncertainties, and our need for answers – without fostering them. We compare ourselves to others (who may have found their way), or look at pretty material things, leaving us hanging even more for an answer.
So if the above resonates with you, I would encourage you to try three things:
- Detach yourself from the actual question “what do I want to do” : forget it for now. Instead go about your days, watching your reactions to what comes about. What do you find yourself thinking about, what gives you good energy, what do you like looking at? Take notice, like being on a curiosity journey.
- Create some personal space: this will gradually give air time to your intuition. Do you know how you get those good ideas when you are on holidays? It’s your intuition, speaking when you leave some gaps. So don’t wait months for the next break, and create moments where you can relax alone away from social media – whatever it means for you.
- Act as if you had many lifetimes: in other words release the pressure to find out now and to be sure. This for sure will overshadow your intuition, and create fog in your brain. What would you be interested in if you didn’t have to get it right? Now that’s a different question to ask.
As much as what happens after you get an idea can be involved, the actual steps above are simple. And it’s a part of the journey that is truly exciting because everything is possible. The rest will unfold once you get the clarity. We tend to reverse the process and seek clarity down the track when looking at options. So what if you started with yourself in mind first?
