Being the Most "You"

Joseph Campbell is famous for saying, “Follow your bliss.” Although we can never know for sure what he meant by that, my interpretation has to do with how the Law of Attraction works. You attract more of what you focus on. Therefore, if you follow your bliss, you will attract more of whatever is making you so darned blissful!

I am devoted to providing you with tools to thrive at work. In order to do so, it is important to know what your work is.

Many of us wait for omens or signs—some irrefutable event that will tell us exactly what we are supposed to be doing. You’ll often hear those fortunate individuals to whom this has happened refer to it as having “been called.”

Actually, we are all called; we just don’t recognize it when it’s happening. I realized this last week after hearing an important question posed during a women’s group conference call.

The question was: when are you the most alive, completely present to what’s happening in the moment without your considerations, your fears or your story?

In other words, when are you the most “you?”

When the question was spoken, I felt electrified! I knew I’d heard something important.

This question is crucial because during those times when you are the most “you,” you are completely connected to your inner guidance system and it is sending you a surge of positive emotions designed to impart to you the following message: This is it! You are exactly where you should be—enjoy!

For my friend Melissa, it’s when she hits her stride while writing. She is a professor of literature but her calling is as a writer.

My friend Jeff feels most alive when he finds a piece of fruit that is perfect. The feel, the smell and the taste put him into a state of bliss. That’s good because he is a produce buyer.

I feel most alive when I am teaching—whether on stage while delivering a speech, in front of a room when I’m delivering a workshop or one-on-one with my coaching clients.

In order to begin piecing together what calls to you, it’s important to pay attention to when you feel most alive. What are you doing? Who are you doing it with? How could you turn it into a career?

You may think there are things you cannot turn into a career. Many love to play golf, for example, but lack the drive or financial backing to turn pro. I have a coaching client like that. When we met she was a mortgage broker who loved to play golf. During our work together, she created a way to be paid to play. She combined two passions: golf and philanthropy. Today she teaches others how to use golf as a platform for creating business connections and she donates a portion of her proceeds to good causes. Her company is called Golf for Cause (http://www.GolfForCause.com).

What I’ve noticed in my work is that too many of us end up in “accidental careers.” We get a job right out of school and wake up 20 years later in a career we wouldn’t have chosen and don’t enjoy very much. If that description fits you, then start today to pay attention to when you are most alive. Look for clues that will lead you to the direction you want to take your existing career or your post-retirement career.

It may take some time but it will be well worth it in the long run. You spend more time working than doing anything else. Shouldn’t it make you feel the most alive? Shouldn’t you be the most “you” while you’re doing it?

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