If you want to live a fulfilling and satisfying life, it makes sense for you to abandon a sure-thing career to chase your purpose. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, create a realistic plan to get from A to B, commit, and work hard to fulfill your purpose. Nothing is more rewarding in life than to work hard at something worth doing.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Unknown. 

The only constant in our existence is change. Sometimes, however, change seems to speed up, turning our lives upside down and evicting us from our comfort zones on short notice. During such times, we question our purpose, values, and career choices.

Do we really have a purpose? 

The Significance of Purpose

The mere existence of the concept of purpose raises many questions.

• Do we all have a purpose and a true calling?
• Can our purpose change over our lifetimes?
• Will we recognize our true calling when we see it?
• Does it make sense to abandon a well-established career to chase our purpose?

In my leadership coaching books and blog posts, purpose plays a central role. I have defined purpose as a must-have element of leadership, without which our leadership traits can derail, and our competencies wither.

Without a purpose, leadership falters, and organizations fail to move forward, lacking a direction. The same is true of the individual. Without a purpose, your life lacks direction, and you fail to make progress since you don’t know which way to move.

Do You Have a Purpose and a Mission in Life? 

From the perspective of leadership coaching, purpose is a factor that anchors the entire concept of leadership to reality and practicality. When you have a purpose, you automatically develop a set of values that align with your purpose. These values give practical substance to your leadership. And remember that you don’t have to be head of a large organization to exercise leadership. You are always the leader of your life.

How Do You Recognize Your Purpose?

Your purpose is a goal or an ideal for which you engage in activities you love to do. By that, I mean that you would do them for free if you didn’t have to worry about putting food on the table.

Your true calling is like a hobby. The value you attach to it transcends the everyday demands life places on you and the conventional, material-focused definition of success. You can pursue your purpose through a career or activities outside work.

How Can You Pursue Your True Calling? 

Executive coaching is about finding out a leader’s strengths and weaknesses to take advantage of the strengths and minimize the weaknesses. As your own executive coach, you should aim for the same.

Know your skills, inclinations, and proclivities. Understand your potential. When you know this information, you will find it easy to establish your purpose, calling, and the values that align with them.

Don’t disregard the constraints of reality when you decide to follow your passion. Be honest with yourself about your strengths. You want to align your strengths with a purpose that inspires genuine passion in you. Try not to make someone else’s purpose your own just because you like it and it’s trendy or highly profitable. Such a lack of honesty will derail your efforts and delay the identification of your true calling.

But keep your feet on the ground. 

Be practical about your approach to creating a career out of your true calling. Ask around and obtain feedback from people who have walked your chosen path before you.

According to Theodore Roosevelt, working hard at work worth doing is one of the greatest satisfactions life can offer.

When you follow your passion, align your skills and values with your purpose, and commit, you should expect nothing less than to be the best at what you do. Work hard and smart at achieving this goal. Your passion guarantees that you won’t lose motivation and drive when faced with challenges.

Finding your true calling and pursuing your purpose is your best shot at living a fulfilling life. With such stakes, it always makes sense to abandon a sure-thing career that brings you stress and misery.

Executive coaching can help you pinpoint where you want to be and place it into a relevant context by determining where you are now. It can then help you set up a plan to go from where you are to where you want to be.

Check out my books if you want to learn more about executive and business coaching.

Back to blog