On the Struggle to Find My Purpose

December 13, 2015 Career

For a long time, I didn’t even know what it meant to have a purpose. As a little girl, I always felt I was here for a reason, but I had no idea that this would have something to do with the career path I chose.

So in my early 20s when I started to figure out what career I wanted to have, I was constantly trying to fit a square peg into a round hole without realizing it. I would take any spark of interest, curiosity, and even mild excitement as a sign that thing was meant to be my career.

I remember calling my parents almost daily, saying things like “I just had the greatest conversation with this doctor and I’ve decided it’s my purpose in life to open a psoriasis healing center” or “I just heard this performer sing the most beautiful music, I think I want to be on broadway.”

There was no real depth to my aspirations, it was more of a desperately-seeking-Nitika trying to find a job that would make her happy. After several years of industry jumping and new ideas, I finally realized that a career can be much more than a job. It can actually be something that encompasses your true essence, inspires you to your core, and shifts the people you encounter in a major way.

So how did I find my true calling?

I began making clarity my number one focus. Instead of just trying to grasp for any possibility that crossed my path, I realized that knowing what I wanted was the only way I was going to align with what I was looking for. I spent months journaling, praying, and meditating all of which I used to bring me closer to crystal clear knowingness. I knew I had to feel it in my gut, not just in another frivolous passing thought.

Although it took me some time to gain that clarity, once I did, my entire life changed and I was able to move forward in fulfilling my life’s purpose in ways I never thought possible. Of course I didn’t become a talk show host overnight. But realizing that I wanted to help heal the world through the medium of television was my target to focus upon as I navigated the journey to getting there.

Have you ever felt like your job wasn’t completely aligned with everything you want for yourself? When you step into work that inspires you, you want to show up with everything you’ve got–a beautiful feeling.

I know for many people having a career you’re passionate about seems like a pipedream. But I’m living proof that it’s not.

So how do you get to that clarity? Start with these 3 steps.

    1. Journal Time. I want you to take two separate moments throughout your week and spend 15 minutes to an hour within each. The first time I want you to write out all of the things that don’t feel good about your current job situation. If you’re seeking employment right now, describe how that process feels as well. For the second time, I want you to allow yourself to dream bigger than you’ve ever been able to. Write about how you want to feel in your career. That includes everything from the money you want to be making, the hours you want to be working, and the impact you want to make while doing so.
    2. Question Time. Ask yourself the question: if you could do three things everyday that you absolutely love to do (and effortlessly do them whether someone paid you or not) what would they be? I invite you to answer this question honestly and not confine yourself to what you think might make you the most money or be the most impressive–just follow your heart and pick the three things that light you up from within.
    3. Meditation Time. Whether you’ve meditated or not, the point of this third tip is to practice getting quiet. The journaling is important so that you ask for what you want. But getting quiet allows you to hear the answers you’re seeking. If you’re new to meditation, don’t let this intimidate you. Just five minutes of disconnecting from technology and everyday life can make a huge difference.

These are the exact steps I practiced to get clarity on creating a career that feels completely aligned with who I am. Sometimes I repeated the steps over the course of several months to get even deeper because there is always more to learn, express and discover.

I’m so excited to see what you discover during this process. In the comments below, please share the three things that came up for you in step 2. Or if you have questions, let me know and I’ll be here to support you.

Thank you for reading.

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