On Monday I wrote about Evan Lysacek’s comment on loving what he does.

I’m sure 90% of the Olympians fit in this category, and surely all of those who win medals love what they do. I think it would be difficult to win if they didn’t.

Another Olympian that comes to mind when I think of this love is Shaun White.

Not too long ago at the X Games, Sean debuted a fancy new trick he calls the Double McTwist 1260. And he bit it. Big time. If you haven’t seen the video, it’s crazy. (You’ll never catch me doing this sort of thing!)

What happened afterward? He got right back on it and did it again, undeterred. He completed the trick successfully.

Last week, he repeated the trick again and nailed it in the Olympics. No one could come close to matching his score. (For some reason I don’t understand, I can not find his Gold Medal video anywhere online. This source cites a similar experience.) He got the gold.

When Shaun talks about snowboarding, you can feel the love he has for what he does.

When I sit down to do what I do, whether it’s writing or coaching or brainstorming the next thing for my business, I like to tap into the energy that these guys have. The passion. The unwavering commitment. The love. Connected to feelings like those is the way I want to live.
 

It is your soul’s duty to be loyal to its own desires. It must abandon itself to its master passion. --Dame Rebecca West

Do you believe you exist for a reason? Do you have a purpose or a mission?

I’ve come to believe that we all have a purpose for being on this planet. I don’t believe that purpose has to be something big and grand and complicated. For some people, it may be like that, but for another, her purpose could be “being a mother to these children.”

Back when I realized my life was headed in a direction that was not aligned with my true self, I began pondering this question of purpose. I’ve read various books on the philosophy of purpose. Each has given me a piece of the puzzle, but I know that the real answer will come from within me.

Last week I took a huge leap towards recognizing my purpose. I’ve pieced this together:

I am here to enable the right-brained, creative, spiritual, mission-driven healers and teachers of this world to get their work and healing out to whom they are here to serve.

There’s more to my purpose and mission than that, but the cards are still hidden. I have more to learn and uncover.

I’m curious. Do you believe you are here for a reason (even if you don’t know what it is)? Do you have a purpose or a mission? Please share.

Here is a great idea that was passed along to me by my friend Ellen Hartson. I joined the ranks of thousands who decided to give 29 gifts in 29 days. Join us at www.29gifts.org!

This is the final post in a series of three that explore the idea of loving your job.
- The first post suggested that you can love your job.
- The second post offered some ideas on how to be happy in your current job.
- This post will provide tips on how to find a career that you truly love.

I believe that the purpose of life is to be as happy as possible.

For me, if happiness is the purpose of life, then I choose to not spend my energy doing something that drains me.

1. You have to figure it out.

There is no magic career fairy that will bless you with a new career idea. I used to think that I would one day be struck with inspiration and know exactly what I needed to do to have a job I loved. However, my current career only made itself known to me after lots of hard work and introspection.

Research Some Options. (Check out my Books page for some suggestions). Google whatever thoughts come to mind when you think about having a career you love. Interview people who have interesting jobs.

Dream big. This isn’t the time to limit yourself to practical solutions. Practicality possibly got you where you are now. Remember that dreaming doesn’t mean you have to take action. Dreaming is just imagining possibilities. Have fun with it.

Ask yourself: What did I want to be, before anyone told me what I should be when I grew up?

2. Try out some new things in your spare time.

One of the greatest ways to explore new career ideas is to try them out.

Volunteer. Do you like working with children? Volunteer at the library, or at a school. Interested in going into medicine? Volunteer at the hospital, for Meals on Wheels, or with Hospice.

Do more of what you enjoy. Think about what you enjoy doing. Do you like to hike or paint or garden? Find other people who like to do those things, too. Engaging in activities you enjoy will spark some inspiration and ideas for what direction to take your career.

Enjoy yourself now. This is a minimum requirement. The search for a new career should be fun, and it’s hard to find a career that makes you happy if you aren’t happy first. Be happy now.

3. Hire a coach.

What can I say? As a coach, I’m biased and think that coaches are a great way to find a new career. I’ve helped clients find a new path and discover their passions. I had a coach help me along the way to my new career, too.

Coaches can help you find your blind spots, the places where you’re limiting your possibilities. Coaches can help you dream bigger and explore new ideas. Using a coach to find a new career will also help you be confident in your move.

You can find a job that makes you happy. Making changes in your career will mean that your life does not look exactly as it does today. Your life will change when you change your career. If your career change is for the purpose of greater happiness, isn’t it worth it?

What have you done or can you do to find a new career?

Sometimes “what would make me happy right now” is one of the hardest questions for me to answer.

I was having a bit of an “off" day not too long ago, and when I was done working for the day, I wanted to do something to correct my unease. Paul was gone for the night and I had not made any plans.

I wandered around the house just waiting for some inspiration. I’m not sure how I thought that would help, but it’s a habit I started in childhood--roam around (mope, maybe?) until something strikes me.

Then, it was as if I said to myself, “Enough is enough. We’re going for a walk.” We meaning me.

I pulled on my shoes and went outside.

When I set out on my walk, I assessed my uneasiness. I felt uninspired about several things I had on my plate. I set an intention for my walk: to release the uneasiness.

Within ten minutes of walking, the inspiration started flowing. I hadn't even been looking for inspiration. I just wanted to release the uneasiness. I had several writing ideas, a plan for the next step on a project, and a feeling of freedom about my wide-open weekend.

My original plan was to walk for a half-hour, but when I reached the point where I would turn to come home, I wanted to keep going. The inspiration was flowing, and the walk was apparently exactly what I needed.

The cool breeze that comes through my area in the summer was strong this night. It felt cleansing, like it was blowing off the uneasiness of my day and making room for the ideas to flow.

As I continued walking, ideas continued to come without much effort. After about 45 minutes, I wanted to slow down my brain. The ideas flowed nicely, and I know that if I over-think them, they lose their juice. The final mile of my walk was more meditative and relaxing. I felt much better.

I came home having shed my uneasiness and having found some inspiration. I learned my lesson:

Ask the question, “What would make me happy right now?” Then do it.

The key here is to seek something that will truly make you happy. Alcohol and chocolate don’t count. They may make it easier for you to pretend that you’re happy or they may numb the pain, but they will not truly make you happy. When I say happy, I mean genuinely happy. Or just shoot for content, if you’re having a really bad day and happy feels like a stretch.

Consider these ideas:
- go for a walk
- take a bath
- relax in a hammock
- curl up in a comfortable chair and read a book
- paint, draw, or express yourself creatively
- play some music
- turn up your favorite song and dance
- play with your pet or with your children

What was amazing about focusing on being happy was that the problems that were making me feel off were solved with little effort. I found more solutions on that one-hour walk than I would have sitting in front of my computer all day.

The key is to play, walk, or be creative without trying to solve your problems.

I walked to clear my head and my heart and the by-product was inspiration. This also happens when I take a bath. When I take a bath to relax, and the ideas come to me like a flood. It’s because I’m focusing on relaxing, or playing, or creating; I’m not focusing on fixing. If I take a bath to think through a problem, I only feel more frustrated.

Do you have a problem you're trying to solve that you can let rest while you have some fun instead?