Step Two to Achieving Career Joy - Go Back to What You Love

Much of my work with individuals focuses on the desire to appreciate, nurture, and strengthen the mind-body connection and therefore, whenever I speak with someone who feels very stuck, trapped in their current situation, or entrenched in old and unproductive ways of thinking, I often suggest a very simple exercise that allows them to move, if ever so slightly, to a different place.

When people are unhappy in their jobs they often find this unhappiness permeating other areas of their life. Their relationships may suffer, they may not feel as healthy and fit, and they may make choices (unknowingly) that take them further away from who they want to be. So, instead of worrying about a complete career change or how overwhelming it would feel to take on something new, take out some time each week, and preferably each day, to spend time doing something that makes your heart sing. Maybe it is getting back to your daily yoga practice or heading out for a daily run on the trails. Maybe it is painting or woodworking. Whatever it is, decide that you are going to spend that time enjoying everything about it every minute you are doing it. Focus on the present moment and remind your body what it feels like to feel fantastic and how great it is to experience a genuine mind-body connection.

I have been amazed at how effective this is. Sometimes people spend so much time doing things that they don't enjoy that they forget what it is like to feel really good. And sometimes all it takes is a few moments of that high to remind yourself that you deserve a whole lot more.

So, don't worry about changing your life or your career if it is too much to contemplate right now. Just make sure that you spend time right now doing what makes your heart sing. The rest will come.