How to know if you’re aligned with your true calling
Written by Alex Poeter
In my work, I help people create joyful and meaningful careers. As part of this process, I help them explore the deeper sense of purpose (calling) that wants to express itself through their talents. I believe we all have a force inside of us that can guide us to live into our highest potential. But we have to learn how it communicates with us and how it tries to guide us on our path. Being on this path allows us to match our talents and passions with where they’re most needed in the world.
This is not always easy because of our conditioning – our assumptions and stories about how things are supposed to be. For example, we may believe that “a career path has to always be linear and a logical progression of events” or “we have to be at a certain level of success at a certain time in our lives”. Sometimes our conditioning says, “we’re too old for a career change” or “it’s too dangerous to make certain changes because it would jeopardize our existing professional relationships”. Buying into these kinds of beliefs tends to stifle our growth. However, I believe it’s quite natural to keep growing, regardless of our circumstances or age.
Also, if we believe that our career path has to continue to unfold based on plans and decisions we’ve made many years ago, we may not be able to see where our true calling is leading us and where we can find continued joy and meaning without having to sacrifice our sense of safety. So, whenever our conditioning drives our actions, we cut ourselves off from our deeper truth and inner wisdom. As a result, we fall out of alignment with our true calling.
Here are some questions that can help you to know whether or not you’re in alignment with your true calling:
Do you find yourself stuck in beliefs that are not serving you, such as “I’m too old for (fill in the blank)” or “I can’t do what I want to do because of (fill in the blank)”? If so, work on creating new beliefs that are in alignment with your true desires. Then start embodying those beliefs through your actions and decisions.
Are you basing your career success on other people’s career choices in a way that makes you feel inadequate? If so, know that this only distracts you from tuning into your unique abilities to create the career experiences that serve you best. Reflect on your past career experiences and look for clues that can point you back to the path that’s meant for you.
Are you allowing your current comfort zone to drive your career decisions? If so, know that while there can be some discomfort when stepping out of our comfort zone, the rewards we get to reap tend to outweigh the discomfort by far.
Our calling is always trying to point us in the right direction, and often in the way we feel. So, keep following what feels truly right, exciting, and inspiring to you.