Finding our life purpose is one of the biggest challenges we will face.

Think of a single 24 hour day. If we sleep for 8 hours and work 9 hours, that leaves approximately 7 hours to do everything else! Isn't it critical to consider the quality those useable 7 hours? I don't know about you, but I want my life to have meaning and purpose.

Keep in mind that finding our life purpose should precede career change if possible. Like entering a new relationship too soon after a break-up, we should exercise caution to avoid making the same mistake in our new career. The means that we must think deeply about what we really want to achive and what is important to us before we make a career change.

Many people have a deep desire to make a career change. They also have a desire to pursue their life purpose but desire alone is not enough to make it happen. On the other hand, desire is a seed that when properly nurtured, generates hope. Hope leads to action. Action leads to CAREER CHANGE.

Hope - Action - Career Change!

How do we actually find our life purpose for career change? Hire a life coach, buy a book, change jobs until we are fired from all but one like some crazy process of elimination?

Think about things you have done in life that gave you a sense of fulfillment and enjoyment. Did you feel at peace with yourself when you were doing these things?

Maybe you are just beginning to question whether or not changing careers is right for you. In fact, maybe you are not completely sure if you are really happy or not in your current situation.

It’s possible to be unhappy and not realize it. I know this sounds silly but think about it carefully. Are you “tricking” yourself into believing that you are happy? Maybe you are simply comfortable in your current situation. Feeling comfortable in a predictable environment or routine is not the same as living a happy and fulfilled life. Just ask your next-door neighbor who is facing a “mid-life crisis”!

Like a mid-life crisis, a career crisis usually happens when we have a sudden awakening that something is completely out of sync with our life. Remember that a crisis is usually not a “good thing” because it often results in wrong decisions or actions that can have long-lasting and quite regrettable implications. For this reason, it’s advantageous for us to meditate on our life purpose from time to time so we are not caught off guard as a result of our own complacency.

Using our internal compass to find life purpose

In short, as we improve our ability to read our internal compass we are more likely to accuratly to stay on course. Reading the internal compass then becomes a logical excercise in ruling-in or ruling-out whether or not various situations and/or opportunities help or hinder our pursuit of inner peace.

Another way to think of this internal compass is that it is much like a key. The unique grooves in a key are required to unlock the contents of something valuable. Like the diversity of a human fingerprint, each person’s internal compass or life purpose “key” is unique. No two people are exactly the same. For this reason, it’s important to evaluate your life purpose by your own standards and values. You may respect or envy someone’s life purpose but keep in mind that you are unique. No matter how hard you might try, you cannot duplicate their life purpose. On the other hand, it is important to consider lessons learned by others who have forged through the challenges of finding their life purpose.

Be careful when you ask others to help you determine your life purpose. There is always potential for bias, jealousy, or ignorance. Your destiny may be well beyond the expectations of others so be a good listener but form your own opinion. On the other hand, if you hear a trend or a recurring theme in their feedback you might want to pay special attention to opportunities in that area.

Reading Our Internal Compass: Rule-in/Rule-out

When we read our internal compass we must do some or all ofthe following:

(1) Gather information and conduct research. When we begin the process of making decisions according to our internal compass we need to provide our brain with sufficient information. The information gathering phase of our preparation can be exciting and frustrating - depending on how much patience we have. Sometimes the information gathering is very time-consuming.

For example, if we want to change careers from the field of education to the medical field, we might need to gather information about potential job openings in our area. Then, we would look at the skills required to fill these job openings. If we have transitional skills it may be easier to change careers without additional training or instruction.

In addition to gathering information it is often important to conduct our own informal research. Informal research might include a specific inquiry of the salary range for potential positions in our target career within our geographical location.

(2) Ask questions. We are more likely to make good decisions if we are not afraid to ask questions. Asking questions can be difficult if when we don't like the answers. Still, it's important not to allow discouragement to become part of the decision-making process.

If we don't ask the hard questions on the front-end of our decision-making process, we will surly deal with the results of those questions on the back-end. In short, we never want to fool ourselves into "force-fit". Forcing the fit usually has negative consequences after the illusion of happiness wears off.

(3) Determine if the ROI (return on our investment) is "worth it". For example, if our skill set does not match the skills required for our target career, we may need additional instruction. If the instruction requires the acquisition of a degree, do we have the time and money to invest? If so, will the salary be sufficient to justify the expense? If the answer is yes, what university offers the best value in a quality education? (This question requires us to conduct a bit more research.)

Relocation is another example of a major decion that requires some serious deliberation. Before taking a new position, ask questions, gather information, and do research. Research the cost of living in the new town. Is the potential salary sufficient to cover the cost of living? Determine moving costs in terms of both time, stress, and money.

(5) Evaluate the overall timing of events. Is everything falling into place without unusual manipulation on my part? What is happening around me that seems to fit with the timing of this action? Again, never force the fit; timing is everything!

(6) Compare the information logically against our feelings and emotions. Be ready to accept the fact that this thing you want may not be right for you at this moment in time. Be truthful with yourself no matter how painful it might be. If something isn't in proper alignment with your internal compass you may have regrets later on.

In addition, you may find that you followed all the steps and aligned your inner compass to make the best decision but in the end, it didn't happen. Don't give up! Remember, you only have access to your own internal compass; you do not have all the information. You don't know what information or events are happening on the other side of a decision. Be willing to accept all results, good or bad, as favors. This will help you brush off defeat and move on to your next challenge.

(7) Make a decision to take action or hold steady. If your internal compass aligns and it seems that you are going to be able to take action for change, make sure you have not overlooked anything. If everything checks out, go for it. If you have any reservations (that gut feeling something isn't quite right), hold steady. On the other hand, make sure fear isn't holding you hostage from achieving your success. Action does involve some degree of risk. If you have logically analyzed the situation, you have minimized risk to the best of your ability.