May/June 2010
dancing at your desk

Better job, better life, happier you
Embracing the "impossible" can make it happen

by Sue Frederick

Maybe you woke up this morning with a new idea. You marinated in it before getting out of bed. You asked yourself, is this the time to follow that dream?

Here’s the truth: there’s never a better time to follow that dream than right now. In these still-uncertain economic times, when the conventional rules of career have come crashing down around us, we may sometimes feel stripped bare. But if you’ve lost a job, or realized you just can’t continue in a job you hate, it’s an opportunity to follow your big dream. When all else is stripped away, what’s left is your true self—the divine potential you’re destined to fulfill through your work.

Of course, you could continue to apply for jobs you don’t really want, or stay in a job that’s desperately unfulfilling, because of the “security” it offers, or the benefits package. But that old job-as-security-and-benefits paradigm is crumbling. This is the perfect time to embrace your big idea and move forward. Let go of your fear and old ideas of security, and see if you can start to believe your own inner voice, the intuition inside of you that has been whispering your mission for years.

Does it seem impossible? Think of all the “impossible,” unbelievable things that have happened in your lifetime. Perhaps it’s time to embrace the next “impossible” thing in your path, which is completely possible if you’ll just take a few steps in that direction. Focus on these, to help you remember who you are and bring your big idea to the world:

Strengthen your spirituality, however you define it. Maybe it’s going to church. Maybe it’s a sweat lodge, or a Buddhist retreat, or Kaballah meditation. It doesn’t matter—however you connect to a power greater than yourself contains an element of the sacred. Strengthen your spirituality on a regular basis, with some kind of structured routine or formal practice. And bring spirituality into your life on a daily basis with some kind of prayer or meditation. The key is consistency—you must do it every day, to maintain a strong sense of connection with the divine. This will open your pathway to inner guidance faster than any other practice. It can be something as simple as sitting quietly every morning for 15 minutes or longer, listening to your breath. Repeating a mantra or sacred sound can help keep your mind from racing; I recommend the ancient and powerful Sanskrit words Om Namah Shivaya which mean I bow to the divine self.

Understand that your pain has a purpose. It’s your greatest fuel for doing your true work. Ask yourself, if I signed up for my painful experiences in order to bring my wisdom to the world through my work, how can my pain serve others? Whom can I help with the wisdom I’ve learned from my own challenges? Pain also gives us strength. Think of a horrible experience in your life, when you were sure you wouldn’t make it through to the other side. But you’re here now, aren’t you? Try this exercise: think of the most painful time in your life, imagining it as vividly as possible. Then, on a piece of paper, write down five or more life-changing lessons you learned from the experience. Keep the paper on your altar, or near your bed, where you’ll see it every morning and evening.

Listen to your intuitive guidance rather than your mind, and learn to tell the difference. Here’s how: picture yourself doing a new job, one that you’re dreaming of doing. See yourself talking to people, sitting at your desk, or working from home. Pay attention to how that vision feels physically in your body. Does it make you smile and feel light? Do you giggle seeing it? Or does it make you feel heavy and tired? If it makes you feel heavy and tired, that’s your intuition saying “no, this is not the right career for you.” Instead, it’s probably a career idea that your mind created – to pay the bills and be practical.

Realize that abundance will come to you from doing your true work. This isn’t consistent with the messages we hear every day from newspapers, television and well-meaning friends. When you do the work that moves and inspires you, when you follow your big idea, the universe will support your efforts in every way. You will find opportunities and people falling into your path to help your work succeed against all odds. It may not make sense, but it works. Try this exercise: on a sheet of paper, write down exactly what your life would look like if you had $10 million. You wouldn’t have to worry about money, ever again. What would you do? That answer will give you some clues about what your true work is.

Take three steps towards the big idea that you woke up with this morning. First, test it with your intuition (see step three). If it still feels right, take three steps to investigate this idea such as calling someone who does this work and asking them how they got started. Or research this career on the internet. Who else is doing it? How is your work different from theirs? Write down your ideas. Take three more steps each week.

Identify the voice of your pitiful self getting in your way. This is your fear and doubt. That pitiful self exists in everyone. Here’s an exercise: give your pitiful self a name like Sad Sam or Doubting Debbie so you can tell it’s a different energy from your true self. Then practice identifying when your pitiful alter ego starts trying to run the show. In a small notebook, write down what he or she says: “You’ll never make this work!” “You’re not smart enough!” and so on. Then write the opposite: “You can do this; it’s what you’re here to do. You have everything you need to make this work, and you’re completely supported by the universe.”

Be the hero of your life. This is your life, no one else’s, and you are meant to be the hero. Ask yourself “What would a hero do now to change my life for the better?” and write the answer in a notebook or your journal. Then every evening, before you go to bed, spend five minutes adding to it, or reading and contemplating what you’ve written. You can be a hero, and accomplish the “impossible.”