So many people I coach have a desire to create something new in their life, but can’t figure out exactly what. They set vague goals like “find a new career that let’s me be creative” or “get a job that inspires me”, but never actually make any progress because they can’t figure out what exactly they want to do. How do you unravel the clues, read the signs, and sort out the hidden messages you send to yourself about what you really want to create in your life?
I have done this for myself multiple times in life. I have
it dialed in now, and it’s one of my favorite things to coach around, but the
first time was like groping around in the dark. For years I thought I wanted to
get an MFCC and become a psychotherapist. In the middle of grad school, on the
cusp of doing my first internship, I started feeling huge inner resistance. With
dismay, I realized this wasn’t the right path for me after all. Now what?
My job as a technical writer, a great way to put myself through school, became a nightmare to live as my sole career focus. Having no idea what to do next, I sought advice and input wherever I could find it: friends, colleagues, career counselors, astrologers, psychics, tarot readers. What I desperately wanted was someone to help me identify the exact career I should be pursuing and how to get there. What I got instead was a seemingly random set of insights into my talents and interests. It felt utterly frustrating at the time. My level of sarcasm about the situation hit an all-time high when the conversation with the career counselor boiled down to one essential truth: I was happiest when I was sitting in circles talking with people. I remember railing at the universe thinking, I’m having a total career meltdown and this is the big clue I get?! Sitting in circles with people??
It turned out to be a highly significant clue. As I sat with
my small crumb of information, I began to notice where those circles of people
existed in my current life: at work in team meetings and in corporate training
sessions. I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe what I was seeking was right in front
of me. There’s details of the story I’ll save for another blog post, but the
punch line is that a short time later, I found my way to the career path I’ve been
on now for over 15 years: meeting facilitator and trainer. The rooms I work in
always have people sitting in circles. I couldn’t be happier.
As I have refined my life and explored new passions, I’ve figured out a formula for locating and nurturing tiny clues into full blown life creations. Here is the first step. Try it out for yourself. I call it Passion Mapping.
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