Are You Betraying Your Soul's Calling?

I was sitting in my office on a client day. I’d had a great session with a man who was trying to find his direction. You know it’s a great session by the expression on your client’s face. He was having insight after insight. I could see his brain popping. And then he looked at me and said. “I mean, no disrespect, you do amazing work, but I could never sit here alone in an office all day, like you do and see client after client.”

“OMG” I thought. “Neither can I.

Damn! I’d done it again. I’d set up someone else’s version of what a self-employed coach did. Working like a therapist, I sat in an office on client days, and saw client after client. And while I loved my clients and the progress they made, I hated sitting alone in an office. I felt like I’d put half of me in a closet, the fun, talkative, interactive part and forced myself to be just the wise, listener part of me…for an entire day. At the end of those days I was wiped out – completely de-energized – wondered if I’d ever be happy in any work. I felt the same boredom and divine discontent that I’d had when I had a job.

And I’d CREATED this!

I was purpose adjacent…..AGAIN.

I was betraying my soul’s calling.

Your soul’s calling isn’t just what you do or why you do it; it’s who you do it for, and how you do it.

I knew that my heart wanted to facilitate training and purpose discovery groups for women in their 40’s in beautiful natural settings, but I thought that was impossible, so I didn’t even try and I went along with what everyone else did or said I should do….rented an office and started a practice designed to help anyone who was unhappy at work. And I had a ton of clients, even though I lived in a small town!

But I was purpose adjacent. And I knew that because of the malaise I felt.

I was trying to bargain with my calling, trying to do something that was close – I mean I was coaching, not developing policy, like I had in my corporate job – but I was still off track.

Your soul’s calling doesn’t compromise.

You’re either purpose aligned or purpose adjacent.

You’re either betraying your soul’s calling or being loyal to it.

Which one are you?