Do What You Love! (and Not What's Expected)
Posted on November 14, 2014 by Mark Langford, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
For over half my life I did what I thought was “right” and then I realized it wasn't what I loved.
I attended school and got good grades (well mostly good). I went to church on Sundays (and prayed hard). Went to college (and studied hard). Went to business school (and studied even harder). Got a job. Climbed the corporate ladder. Took two vacations a year. Got married. Bought a house. Had kids. Coached Little League. Bought new cars. Bought a new house….
I lived the American Dream – and did it exceptionally well. Statistics tell me that I did it in the 97th percentile. Unfortunately, in the course of doing the right thing, I lost sight of my purpose. The passion quietly drained out of my veins and it was replaced by obligation and routine. I became stuck and didn’t even realize it.
Then a beautiful thing happened. I was laid-off from my job! At first I tried to replace my stuckness with more of the same. I did the “right” thing (what I had been taught by others – who were probably stuck themselves) and looked for a replacement job doing the same thing that I did before. Unfortunately – or rather fortunately – I found that the corporate world isn’t so accommodating to 50-year old senior managers. The ladder gets kind of crowded near the top with a bunch of others hanging on doing the right thing.
Working with a coach and doing a lot of self-reflection, I realized that my soul longed for something more. I noticed that I was actually happier not going into an office and working for someone else. I was set free. While a little scary, it felt liberating. Choice was reinstated into my life and I set out to re-discover who I really am. I took time to meditate, reflect and self-assess.
What I found was that I am a teacher and healer. So I decided to help others reinstate their choice and to divorce their stuckness. Imagining everyone living their purpose and being happy inspires me. I want my sons, my friends and everyone I interact with to be like that. It would create so much ease and flow in this world.
The advice that I can pass on from my transformation is to take time to breathe deep and check in with yourself – often. If you’re feeling light and good then you’re on the right track. If, however, you feel heavy and uneasy, it may be time to do some soul-searching. Is your life built around your personal passions? If not, why not? Be proactive and make a plan to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Then take steps – no matter how small – each and every day that bring you closer to it. Don’t wait to be laid-off or for calamity to hit. None of us should ever have to leave this Earth with our music still inside.
If you’re interested in receiving even more strategies and tactics to help your career journey, go to www.c-synergy.com/freesession and schedule a no obligation consultation and see if career coaching is for you.
