Discover your Life’s Work
It’s 7:00am on Monday morning and your alarm has just gone off. Do you:
a) Fill with dread at the thought of facing the day, wishing it was the weekend again.
b) Stretch out and feel excited about getting up and embracing the day.
c) Move like a robot into your regular morning routine half asleep, and turn up late for work.
d) Smile to yourself feeling deeply fulfilled and grateful for the day ahead.
So which one did you pick?
About 5 years ago I would have picked a). And about 5 years before that a). In fact for most of my working life I have always hit a cross roads of some kind. I would get bored very easily if I was not being stimulated by my job and as a result I would doubt my ability and skills sabotaging any decisions to explore something different. Most significantly I felt that it was always too late to start a new career, even in my early 20s!
My concerns were that if I started re-training it would be a long time until I was qualified and maybe by that time, I would want to be settling down having a family or going travelling. There were always excuses. I have lost count of the number of conversations I’d had with my Mother about feeling deeply uninspired and confused as to what my strengths were and where I was going in life. I found it frustrating and exhausting.
Are you able to identify with these feelings? Do you feel like you’re moving along in slow motion, watching your life dissipate into the past leaving you feeling empty and sad? Do you feel you’ve lost all sense of direction and therefore lacking control of your future?
Then what are you willing to do to change it?
Many people assume that those who have made a career or business out of doing what they love are just plain lucky, more intelligent, or have better skills and qualifications. To have this view is restricting your chances of success because you are limiting your opportunities by thinking in this way.
Each of us has an equal chance of success, but the ones who make a change, are the ones willing to push themselves out of their comfort zone and take action. They are prepared to try out something new, start again, be open to taking a risk, or face their fears and anxieties of the unknown. Many people are scared of uncertainty or don’t feel worthy enough to be given a chance. This is a negative mindset and it’s important to start by really getting to the core of what is preventing you from taking that small tiny step towards deeper fulfilment in your successful future.
If you lack confidence in your skills and ability, what can you do to improve upon them so you feel more self confident in what you have to offer? There is no need to stop at what you have, you are growing and learning each day you are alive. But what advantage is it to you to continue feeling unhappy and discontented? Life is much more satisfying and effortless when you stop fighting against it and flow with the opportunities it presents.
Having any doubt in your ability is merely a limiting belief about what you feel capable or worthy of doing. What do you need to do in order to build up your self esteem so you have conviction that you deserve to live a happy and joyous life? Is there anything getting in the way of you making this transition?
Any blockages are merely excuses as there is always a way to achieve fulfilment be it through re-training, volunteering, being around inspiring people or researching and reading on the internet. Perhaps you will need to look at your surroundings too and decide if they are for your greatest good or sabotaging your chances to succeed.
Everyone is here to make a contribution to humanity in some way, whether it’s bringing a child into the world, clearing litter from the streets or some form of care work and healing. If you are seeking out answers to which direction you should take in your life, start by being open to opportunity and doing more of what you really love!
What triggers that feeling of absolute happiness and gratification when you do it? What do you like to do that makes you feel full of vitality and aliveness? What would you be willing to do 14 hours a day with no break and wake up every morning to do it all again with a big fat smile on your face?
It’s really important to be grateful for what you have already. Look at your positive attributes and be proud of what you have achieved so far. All the time you are envious or jealous of other people’s success you are pushing away chances of your own. There is nothing that you cannot do even though you may find that hard to believe!
I have put a little exercise together to help you discover your life’s work. And to also come to realise that it is well within reach because that is what you are here to do! Anything that brings you joy is a sign that you have every opportunity to make a living from it……
Imagine you live in a world of absolute joy and abundance. Everything around you is beautiful and you feel grateful each day you wake up with a deep feeling of elation when you carry out your daily activities. Notice what activities you are carrying out as you recall this amazing feeling of elation, as you do what you love.
What skills are you using during this time such as talking, writing, negotiating, counselling, painting, walking, supporting?
What type of objects are you using; for example are you using machinery of any kind, or driving a vehicle? Are you supporting animals or people?
Write out at least 5 things you would be doing that bring you absolute happiness in your activities.
Then go on to notice how much time are you devoting to these activities each day. How many hours are you working?
Are you working with others or on your own? Do you work with the same people every day or are there different people each day?
Do you travel anywhere for your work or do you stay in one place?
What status and responsibilities do you have? Are you part of a team and is it small or large? Do you work in the city or in the countryside?
Write down anything else you can think of whilst carrying out the activities that are important to you.
As you imagine this fulfilling life, keep adding to and refining your list. You are sending messages to your unconscious mind to start thinking of in this way and going towards getting what you want. In order for you to have opportunity, you have to create it first. You create it by being open to the possibility of it happening.
Once you are open to the possibility of it happening, what are 5 actions can you take to help you move towards what you want?
For instance, could you:
Read a book or look on the internet?
Could you do some voluntary work?
Is there someone you can contact to help you set goals and intentions and support you in this transition?
Is there anything you need to let go of in order for you to achieve these things?
Once you have completed this exercise, return to your list and make a commitment to yourself to follow up any actions that you need to take to go about getting it.
“All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination. Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth.”
Napoleon Hill
