Creating a Path with Heart for Your Career & Life Transitions

Last week I gave a tele-class with this title for about a dozen people, most of whom were graduates from Stanford University, my alma mater.  One was a freelance writer wanting to open her life to include a satisfying intimate relationship.  Another was a mother who yearned to get back into the world of work as a professional with a world health organization.  In general, the participants were intelligent people seeking ways to expand the parameters of their lives and move into a greater sense of wholeness and fulfillment.

What I found with the people in this group-- as with many others I've worked with as a certified life coach and somatic therapist-- is that the willingness to bring forward your deepest desire is often the beginning of a spiritual awakening, a way of knowing your wholeness as a person and joy in living.

In this class, we walked the basic steps for creating a path with heart (or in other words, your dream) in your life, which are simple and often overlooked, because they are require going deep into yourself.  The first is Awareness, or bringing into clarity what it is that you truly want and what this means to you.  Here are some questions to evoke awareness-- What kind of change would you like to bring into your life?   What's the risk?  What's the gain?  What would bring more joy and fulfillment into your life?

Step two is Visioning, or allowing yourself to enter fully into the change you want to make through inner visualization or creating a picture of what you want through external manifestations such as collage or computer design.  Some questions to evoke Visioning are:  What are the colors of your dream?  What are you feeling & where are you sensing it in your body?  What are you really wanting?  What is the look of how to live fulfilled?  Because fear often arises when the door to change begins to open, it's important to feel supported by a good friend, a caring family member, or a life coach as you dare to envision a life or a career that is larger than you may have dared to dream ever before.

The third step is Intention, or claiming your dream and your direction for change.  This step is vital for making changes that matter.  An intention can be very simple.  For example, "My intention is to make three job-related calls today."  Or it can be more expansive-- "I intend to create a place of beauty in my kitchen to inspire me every day."  Or it can be one that may shake up your life as you know it-- "My intention is to spend a year painting in Italy."

Creating a path with heart to change your career or your life in some significant way asks that you first go inward and know what makes you feel alive and true to yourself.  Then you can take action that is right for you, and find the support you need to go forward into the realm of your heart's desire.