As women we go through so many transitions in life…
+ Graduating university
+ Starting our first proper job
+ Getting married
+ Becoming a mother
+ Losing a parent
+ Starting a new career path
……through it all we can doubt if we’re on the “right” path and who we are meant to be in the process.
Oftentimes we don’t stop to question what “right” actually means or where we ourselves fit into the equation.
We can be so preoccupied with doing the right thing by others that we can lose ourselves.
“Right” can often mean the responsible and logical choice…
…..but sometimes the heart and soul don’t want to play by those rules.
Sometimes where you’re meant to go feels like a calling to do something wacky and completely different like:
+ Work for an NGO
+ Start a business
+ Leave that relationship
+ Go on sabbatical
Note: These options are not inherently bad or wrong. They might just be super drastic to what you’re doing right now. Which is why your mind will have you in a holding pattern telling you “it’s too risky to make a change.”
How do you answer that question “what career is right for me?”
And subsequently, how do you know what’s “right” by you?
Well, I believe it all starts with you. Your intuition. Your callings. You’re unique path.
You will know that it’s time to explore your path when you’re asking the bigger questions in life.
Big questions can sound like:
+ Who am I?
+ Why am I here?
+ What am I doing with my life?
+ What should I do for a living?
+ How do I decide my career direction?
I believe that if these are questions on your mind, then you’re heart, your internal guidance, your body, your soul (whatever you want to call it) is giving you a gentle nudge to make a change a change and do something different.
Now when I say this I don’t mean you have to do anything drastic.
You don’t have to become an entrepreneur.
You don’t have to quit your job.
You don’t have to join an NGO and do something at the other end of the spectrum.
You can start with baby steps.
If there is a call or desire within you then….
It’s something to be explored, played with and experimented. It’s time to invite in a little fun!
When you close down that inkling or that voice…that’s when physical manifestations in the body will appear.
Maybe you’ll get a tight neck.
Or perhaps have a cold that you just can’t shake.
Alternatively, you’ll have that headache that forces you to lie down in bed all day.
Your body will talk to you and tell you when something is not right.
When we get these gentle nudges and ignore them, then the body turns up the ante and gets you to listen (sometimes in pretty harsh ways).
So if you’re hearing this and you haven’t had that big health issue, or relationship issue or whatever crisis it is…..
Please just pay attention and start this curious process of exploring those questions….
“Who am I? What am I here to do?”
Adopt a playful nature and a really fun attitude.
Because really this is something to be explored.
As I’ve been developing my work and my process what I’ve found is that at the end of the day, we all desire to feel like we’re on the right path for ourselves.
We want to create success, absolutely
But more than that we want to be fulfilled too.
We want:
+ our jobs to be about more than just the bottom line.
+ to make a meaningful contribution to society at large.
We’ve all got a different role to play in that contribution.
If you’re being called to do something more meaningful, I have three suggestions for you.
Suggestion #1: Look at the identity you’ve wrapped up in your job.
+ Who do you feel you are in the world?
+ Who do you have to be in the world in order to be “successful.”
Let me give you an example.
When I quit my corporate job, I took a real nosedive in confidence and self-esteem because I told myself, “Well if I’m not working for this big company who am I? I’m just nobody.”
My identity had become so wrapped up in this corporate role that I felt like I wasn’t worthy of another job.
But once I was able to say “you know what I’m enough as I am without that corporate role behind me or that company backing me” that’s when I was able to free myself up to explore and to play and actually listen to where I was being called to be of service.
Action: Look at that identity you have and feel you need to have to be “successful” and ask yourself “Is this identity or belief about my identity really serving me?”
If you’re feeling lost and confused about who you really are beyond your identity, make sure you take the FREE Soul Archetype Quiz.
It’s designed to support you in getting clear on who you really are and why you’re really here, so that you can get to work doing it. Did I mention you also get a free integration guide when you take the quiz too? Check it out now!
Suggestion #2: Take some time to become intimate with that inner voice that’s asking these questions.
+ Where do you feel it, hear it or sense it?
Start to practice tuning into that on a regular basis and ask questions….
+ Why am I here?
+ What am I here to do?
+ In what ways am I being called to show up differently?
+ How can I take that next step?
Notice what intuitively comes to mind when you ask the questions.
Stop and listen before shutting it down.
Your mind, your body or whatever is trying to show you the answers.
If the answers aren’t there it’s simply an invitation to practice giving your inner knowing the space and the safety and assurance that it can come out and show you.
Action: Take time out to tune into your inner voice and hear what it has to say.
Suggestion #3: Look after yourself and stop all the doing for just five minutes
When you’re a woman who has many different roles to play and many different people to look after and nurture, it can be very difficult to make sure that you’re giving yourself some space to look after yourself.
Without time for you it can be hard to quieten the mind and tap into that inner intuition or chief soul officer as I like to call her.
So think about one practice you can take a day (it doesn’t have to be long or huge) to really tune in and do something that feels nurturing for you.
Personally, I love to journal. That makes me feel really good. That’s a way for me to get all the stuff that’s in my mind out on paper and just to have that clean slate.
For others it will be:
+ Stretching
+ Going for a run
You get to choose whatever feels right for you.
Action Step: Figure out something you can do for yourself either everyday or on a regular basis that makes you feel connected and centered to YOU and YOUR priorities. Commit to starting this practice for yourself.
There you have it, the three steps to start to begin this curious playful exploration and process to answering those bigger questions in life.
Suggestion #1: Look at the identity you’ve wrapped up in your job.
Suggestion #2: Take some time to become intimate with that inner voice that’s asking these questions.
Suggestion #3: Look after yourself and stop all the doing for five minutes
If you need help with this, this is exactly what I support women with in my one on one Soul Aligned Woman Experience.
If you’re interested in hearing more you can check out the program here:
Just remember: there’s no one in the world who can do what you do the way you do it.
+ You’re here for a reason.
+ You’re here to make a meaningful contribution that only you can.
+ Keep going after it.
+ Have fun exploring it.
+ Keep going after that dream because we need you.
Sending lots of love,
P.S. If you need support to figure out where you’re meant to go in your life and career check out the Soul Aligned Woman program OVER HERE. I’ve got limited spots available.
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