I am deeply saddened when I meet people who are stuck in a career, company or profession that does not feed their souls every day.  Is this what life has to offer?  I know that there’s more because I was once caught up in having the right degrees, high level jobs and the big income.  I had all the trappings of what we were taught was “success.”  Only, I was miserable!  I didn’t sleep, ate poorly and had no time for exercise, friends, family or hobbies.  I was never able to stop thinking about my work and even when I was at home, I was on email at midnight.  I checked voicemail constantly on my vacation.  I was not controlling my life or my job.  I was in a rut, trapped by the trappings of so-called success.

MY STORY

I am fortunate because I decided that I was no longer willing to allow money, prestige, and the “gee, I ought to’” control me.  It took a lot of courage and I had to face my greatest fears, however, it also led to my making major life changing decisions.

With the help and support of my personal coach I was able to recognize that my passion and zest for living were dead.  I learned that my life was being eaten up by work, my relationships were suffering and my health and well-being were in serious jeopardy.  One day, this struck me like a bolt of lightning.  When I finally saw it, I knew I had to put my fears aside and take action-now!  Otherwise, my time here on earth would be about a job I didn’t want instead of the life that I had the choice-yes the choice-to design and live.

My real passion, which I am now following, is coaching other people to create the business success of their dreams so they have financial freedom and freedom to live the lives they dreamt of.   I’m here as a reminder that you have the freedom to make choices and to encourage you to take the first step in admitting to yourself that you are not doing what you love to do.  To begin this change, you must first recognize that the unknown can be very scary, but the benefits of change can bring you freedom beyond your wildest imagination and the life that will make you want to jump out of that each day with joy and excitement.  You deserve nothing less.

If you aren’t singing and playing and laughing out loud, then I encourage you to discover your passion and  I invite you to join me on the fabulous and delightful journey called ‘life’.  Life is not about being suppressed or accepting anything less than you to deserve and there’s one simple lesson that I share with my clients and it is so great and so meaningful and it is so simple-allow yourself to be you doing the work you love and living the life you love every day.

Many years ago I wrote a bestseller called “Work Yourself Happy”.  What doesn’t work yourself happy mean?  Does it mean not paying attention to your needs and working so hard they you lose yourself at your career?  Of course not. Does it mean accepting whatever job you happen to have and learning to “grin and bear it?”  Not likely.  Does it mean working in a job you hate and telling yourself you’re enjoying it?  A loud NO!

Working yourself happy is coming to the realization that success does not mean unhealthy stress, being away from the things and people you love, not having time for yourself and your needs, and not being passionate about your work and life.  It means deciding that you will no longer tolerate a life that doesn’t include work that nurtures you.  It means that you perform incredibly at work, because you enjoy it so much.  It means, you work less and accomplished more.  It means you have a career you love and work you are passionate about.

The time has come for you take what ever action you feel is necessary.  Want a new job?  What about a totally new career?  Has the time come for you start your own business?   Whatever your desire now is the time to begin moving towards working yourself happy.

OPEN THE DOORS TO YOUR FUTURE NOW

Throughout our lives we continue to make many new discoveries about ourselves and the world.  We may find that we have changed and our view of the world may have changed or even the world itself has changed.  When faced with the changing work environment it’s normal to experience mixed emotions.  If you were laid off or your hours, salary and benefits have been cut or simply are concerned that the future of your job is in question you need to take action.  What if you begin to accept that while closing one door, a new door is opening?  What if you viewed the new door as one of opportunity?  … The door which leads to a life in which you have complete control over and can design a career that is in harmony with who you are and what you want your life to be like.  Now, that’s an exciting prospect!

As you begin to learn what you really want for yourself in your career and in your life, then you can explore what the world has to offer.  Because so much of life is spent at work, thinking about work were preparing for work, etc, career decisions are one of the most important decisions for us to make.  Use times of change to begin to discover more about yourself and the world around you.  This process of self-discovery can be joyful!

I give you permission to begin to discover who you are and what you really want to do.  Here a few exercises that you can begin with:  begin thinking about the things you like, what are your favorite hobbies?  What would you like to do every day even if no one paid you for it?  Answer the following:  if you knew you could not fail and money did not matter, what great things which you would do or attempt to do?

Your true passion lies inside  It may have been buried down deep by the things you tell yourself like “I should be a lawyer for ever.  That’s what I went to school for.”

The reality of careers is that opportunity and change is the constant – you can’t control it.  All you can do is make a long-term commitment to lifelong learning and understand that change is essential.  You can also begin to see that your authentic self and recognize that you  are a person  separate from your career.  Paid employment of any type at any level is only one small aspect of your personal fulfillment.  Is not your life.  Just as there are no guarantees in life there also no assurances in careers.  We’re living in a time of tremendous restructuring in the workplace and we can choose to accept this and see our careers as cyclical, sometimes lateral and always evolving but never predictable.

Now that you have a better idea of what it takes to work yourself happy it’s time to let your creative mind go and really expand your vision.  I ask you what do you really want? What do you want to have in your life?  Will kind of person would you like to become?  What you want to do?  Where do you want to go?

And now it’s your turn.  Enjoy your journey as you go about creating joy in your life and work!