Find Meaning in Life With Coaching

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart… Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks within, awakens! – Carl Jung

Do You Find Meaning In What You Do Each Day?

This is one of the most important questions to ask yourself. Meaning and success are not interchangeable, yet many people assume that material success confers a sense of meaning since it requires accomplishing a goal. Surely someone who achieves their hard-won goals feels a sense of purpose, if not meaning, right? Not always.

One of my clients was successful by all accounts. His growing business had exceeded all of his expectations, yet he felt off track with his work. He felt dissatified and unfulfilled. I probed to identify what might make him happy. It turned out that the unhappiness with his relationship was spilling into his career. He needed to focus on that area of his life before moving forward with changes to his business plans.

Another client I worked with felt bored with her prestigious-yet-uninspiring bureaucratic job. She knew she wanted to break away and start her own business, but she was anxious about whether her new idea would fly. So we worked on identifying the specific concerns and fears in the way of her dream. WE decided she needed to do months of market research to validate her business idea, and then develop a step by step action plan for the exit strategy that supported her values and her need for security.

Since many leaders tend to feel isolated in their day-to-day work, a coach serves as a confidante and sounding board to work toward solutions.

With coaching, many clients discover long-hidden fears, deep seated motivations, and beliefs. Effective coaching helps clients identify the invisible barriers blocking their sense of purpose and greater professional success. Clients have the opportunity to realize self-limiting behaviors they’ve engaged in for years–-even decades!

Establishing awareness is pivotal in rediscovering your purpose. Once a client acknowledges the behavior that led them to the present moment in their lives, they have the power to move forward in a self-directed way. Self-awareness generates a sense of responsibility for one’s actions. Clients need to be honest with themselves if they hope to find meaning in their lives.

Passion comes from honesty. When our sense of meaning becomes obscured, it’s hard to connect with that passion. If you’re missing a sense of fulfillment in your work, consider working with a coach to establish the connection with your purpose and passion.