Three Ways to Find Your Path
I once had a client come into my office worried that she might be struggling with high levels of stress and depression. As a young professional, she came home from work at the end of the day completely drained. Not only was getting up for work difficult, she also felt unfulfilled in every aspect of her life. Once we dug deeper into her story, we quickly realized that she wasn't actually depressed. She was just in the wrong profession!
For all of you Myers-Briggs junkies out there—she was an ISTJ. (Someone who is great with crunching numbers and working with objective data...like an accountant). But she was working as a social worker (doing anything but what she was created for)!
As an introvert, she longed to be in a cubical solving business problems. Instead, she was talking to people all day and dealing with weighty problems that weren't as cut and dry as she would have liked.
As someone who is wired and created for the social services world, I can only think of how painful it would be if I were thrown into a cubical, dealing with objective data or numbers all day long. Not to mention, the numbers would be . . . off.It was amazing how quickly she found hope in the fact that there might be a better path for her. And once we identified her core personality, we could see a path forward and she was able to move into a field that she thrived in.
When we work within our own unique callings (think strengths, personalities, and temperaments), all of the sudden, everything just clicks!
So, what about you? Do you feel like you are living within your strengths or are you just making it through the day?
When we live within our strengths, we can move forward, find joy, and even leave the stress behind. Here are three ways to find your path:
1. Know who you are.
What’s your unique temperament? If you feel like you are working or living outside of your natural strengths, I encourage you to do some self-reflection. Personality assessments are a great place to begin, as show us how we are uniquely wired.
Here are my favorites: Myers-Briggs (Take Here), Strengthsfinder (Take Here), Enneagram (Take Here), and DiSC (Take Here). Once you have your results, read the description and see if it fits. If so, take some time to reflect. Are you living life within your strengths, or are you living outside of them?
2. Know what you want.
Do you know what you’re passionate about? It’s easy to get caught up in life’s daily grind and forget about what we really want life to look like. What keeps you up at night? What would you do if you had all of the resources you needed and knew that you couldn’t fail? What is burning in your heart, even if you think it is too big to tackle? Are you keeping yourself small because of fear? Dream big!
3. Know where you’re going.
Where do you want to go? Not today, but tomorrow. Or the next day. Or even next year. It doesn’t matter exactly when, it just matters that you can see your future. It matters that you have clarity about your next steps.
Now, don’t get too worried. You can always make a change. Just because you have a vision today doesn’t mean it can’t shift. It is important, however, to have an idea. If we don’t have a map, we’ll just sit and spin in circles.
If you want to live a life of balance and freedom, we must start by knowing who we are, what we want, and where we’re going. Once we know those three things, we can set goals and get to work.
Life’s too short to stay stuck!
What was your biggest insight from this post?
Tell me in the comments below!
You are amazing! Start living like it!
Kim Anderson is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC-MHSP) and a Certified Life Professional Coach (CPLC) who loves helping others live their lives with passion and purpose. She lives with her husband and two teenagers outside of Nashville, in Franklin, Tennessee, where she loves seasons, rolling hills, and the warmth of the South. Follow Kim at www.kimanderson.life, on Instagram @kim_anderson_life, and on Facebook@ KimAndersonLifeCoachingto learn more about what she offers.