Today I had a session with a client in her early 50s who has worked for IBM for 30 years and is now being laid off. (Sound familiar?) It didn’t take long to figure out what her dreams and goals were—that was already clear from her birth path. She was surprised; I was not. It doesn’t have to be sooooo hard.

It really doesn’t. You probably already know inside of yourself what you’re here to do. During our session, my client said “You’re telling me all the things I’ve been talking myself out of doing for years—the careers I always wanted to pursue and the talents I always knew I had.”

Are you busy talking yourself out of the work you came here to do? Does your mind fill you with endless reasons why you can’t pursue that particular career, or how you’ll never make money doing what you love?

If so, it’s time to stop the endless job-hunting, the hours spent sending resumes out, the emailing, phone calling and networking groups that fill your day. Just stop it!

Your next step is right in front of you.Your inner voice has been whispering it to you for years. It’s what you’ve always known in your heart to be true. Just sit down, shut up and listen.

No, you don’t need dozens of career aptitude tests or months and months spent working with a career coach. You need a quiet mind, an open heart, some reflection on your life story – and your intuition.

Just pack those things up with you and take a walk, a weekend retreat, or a long drive in the car. Listen to what percolates inside of you. For once in your life, quit talking yourself out of it. This is your reinvention point, your big moment. Don’t miss this turn in the road by letting your monkey mind, once again, talk you out of being who you really are.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted or depressed, it’s because you’re not seeing your options. You may feel trapped and hopeless in a career that doesn’t work, or a life that doesn’t fit. You have huge options in front of you, and it only takes one step in the new direction. The universe takes care of the rest.

When we see that we have more options than we think, when we realize something that seems like a negative – like being laid off – might really be an opportunity to get back on path, we feel energized. My clients tell me this all the time.

Start by sitting and meditating on the work you have always longed for. Then make a long list of baby steps that might get your career redirected, without spending a fortune.

To keep moving forward, all you need to do is listen to your inner guidance (that’s intuition). And let go of any addiction to the struggle; begin by believing that it really doesn’t have to be soooooo hard. The Law of Divine Order says “Do what you came here to do, and everything else falls into place.” You will attract everything you need (including money and love) once you're on path and following your soul's true intention.

And yes, you must reinvent. While you may be complaining about having to reinvent, it’s as necessary to life as breathing. When we don’t grow and change, we stagnate and die.

Each ending of a cycle brings the finish of jobs or relationship changes which may have needed to happen for a long time. Each new beginning of a cycle brings renewal, inspired energy, better careers, improved relationships, and a more powerful life.

Having an outsider confirm your life's mission and help you make a plan to manifest it can be refreshing and energizing. But you can do it yourself. It requires turning off the TV, unplugging your computer, and sitting down for 20 minutes a day without talking, moving or thinking. Just be still and listen.

Here are five ways you can get a new perspective on your career options, in spite of how bad things may seem: Stop the job search. Quit spending all your time sending out resumes, calling people and searching the internet. Just stop!

Unplug everything and sit down. Repeat either Om Namah Shivaya, or the Lord’s prayer or whatever mantra or prayer you’re comfortable with.

After 20 to 30 minutes of this you may get rid of the mental garbage that your monkey mind is busy creating. The busy mind always gets you off track and far from your soul’s intention. Tame it.

In the quiet gap of stillness you create, ask yourself these questions: Why did my soul want me to lose that job? What does my higher self have planned for me next? What is the next step I should take to move my career in alignment with what I came here to do?

Then just sit and quietly wait for answers. Write down any thoughts that pop into your head. Don’t argue with those thoughts, just write them down. Take the baby steps you just wrote down and quit fighting your higher self. You made a plan for your life before you got here. Now follow it, and the universe will support you every step of the way.

Author and career intuitive Sue Frederick’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Yoga Journal, Natural Health and Fit Yoga. She’s the author of Dancing at Your Desk, I See Your Dream Job, and BrilliantDay. For more info, visit
www. CareerIntuitive.org or call 303-939-8574.