How to Transition from a Job to Your Life’s Purpose
Many people work to survive and pay the bills, but don’t feel that their job is related to what they feel most called to do. This is largely the result of how we are educated. We are taught to pursue a good-paying career, with little thought of why we came to Earth and what our hearts are guiding us to do.
Society on Earth calls upon us to be workers for the betterment of that same society. This is fine, if you feel that this aligns with your higher calling in life. But for a lot of people, this is not the case. Instead, many people learn at an early age to squelch their hearts and their natural instincts in favor of doing something “safe”.
This path to safety is similar to living in a form of slavery. Your needs are provided for in exchange for your labor, your time, and doing what you’re told. It can also become like a prison because once you get in, it is mentally very difficult to get out.
And nowadays the safety factor doesn’t always apply because jobs are becoming increasingly scarce, and the competition is fierce. And even if you have a job, you don’t know if it will last. So let’s talk about how you can re-open the window of opportunity that you were born with, and make a transition to a new mindset that serves you!
Spiritual Entrepreneurship
I am not going to use this writing to talk about switching to a new or a better job. I think everyone already knows how that works. Instead, I’d like to talk about a new mindset that can lead to your independence, and the self-confidence that comes with that.
I’m going to call this new mindset “spiritual entrepreneurship”. Entrepreneurship refers to having the confidence that you can use your creativity and intelligence to provide for yourself if necessary. The word “spiritual” in this sense means that you are focused on doing this in such a way that has purposeful meaning to your heart.
This all sounds great except for one thing: Most people are terrified to do this! There is a very good reason that people feel this way, and I will discuss that in a moment. But for now, I am suggesting that you open your mind to the possibility that you have the natural capacity to embrace this mindset.
If you have been living in a job for most or all of your life, this journey to a new mindset will not be easy. The idea of it can seem almost as foreign as living on another planet! But for those who find it interesting, it is never too early to start contemplating such an idea.
Why is this transition so difficult for most people?
We grow up in an educational system that teaches us how to go work for someone else. We are also taught about all of the standardized and safe ways in which to do this. We start off with a teacher who represents our “boss” and gives us certain assignments for which we are awarded grades that measure our performance.
It’s not that teachers are bad. They are absolutely necessary. The problem lies in the context of their function and in how it affects us psychologically. We learn to view ourselves through the lens of how well we perform a series of disconnected tasks assigned to us by a stranger who is an authority figure.
It doesn’t matter if we don’t understand why we are performing these tasks. It also doesn’t matter if we aren’t able to place those tasks into the larger context of our individual lives. The purpose of the tasks given is clear. We are doing these tasks to prove that we are worthy of being hired for a job later on. The bigger picture is not important, nor is it provided.
Our entire sense of worth is measured in this overly simplistic way. It thus robs us of our ability to apply what we learn with confidence in a broader, more creative way of our choosing. We simply don’t know how to function without someone in authority telling us what to do and when to do it. We don’t know how to be responsible on our own.
The mindset of a Job vs. the mindset of a Spiritual Entrepreneur
The first twenty or more years of our lives prepare us to walk into someone else’s business and be hired as a part of that business. We are not responsible for the business itself. We are just responsible to show up on time and do what we’re told is our small part. And we’re very good at this because we’ve been doing it in school for our entire lives. Now we get to become experts at it and finally receive a paycheck!
In fact, we become such experts that we could almost do this in our sleep. We are completely programmed to go to work, come home and recover (or take care of our families), then recreate plus do chores on the weekends. We don’t have to worry about our employer’s business as an entity, or the government that we work for. That’s all handled by someone else. We did our part, and now we can forget about it. This literally becomes a lifestyle that we tend not to grow out of.
Essentially, having a job has now become a crutch and we are terrified to walk on our own. We simply don’t know how.
A New Mindset
The mindset of a spiritual entrepreneur is vastly different. Firstly, there is no one to tell you what to do or to monitor your behavior. There is no one to say, “You do these specific tasks and you will then be given a paycheck.” There is no one to tell you when to go to work, and there is no larger business overseeing a support system for your efforts. There is just the business that you create. You get to create all of this on your own.
If you find this frightening, you should understand that it is because you were never taught anything about this. It’s not because you can’t do it. If you have the desire, you can definitely do it. You just may have to approach it slowly and with patience.
For example, if you were walking with crutches your entire life, you would not one day just throw the crutches aside and run a marathon. Your muscles would be weak and you would have to take the time to strengthen them and learn to walk on your own again. You might even need physical therapy. Then you would have to build up even more strength and receive some coaching about running a marathon. You would also start making dramatic changes in your lifestyle, compared to how you did everything when you lived on crutches and had to work around that situation.
What would motivate a person on crutches to do all of this? A deep desire for freedom. A desire to be physically self-sufficient and to be able to go where he or she wants to without restriction.
This is the same thing that motivates a person to develop a new mindset that enables them to set their own course in life, rather than rely on an uncertain world for a paycheck in order to survive. It’s the desire for freedom to live from the heart and fulfill one’s life purpose. It’s the desire to be who you are, and create the life of your choosing.
How does one make this powerful transition?
The best way to start this process is to understand that you must first change your thinking. Too many people think that the first step is to quit their job, then jump off the cliff and hope they can fly. This thought is terrifying for a reason, and that’s because it is wrong! And if you believe it, then you are likely to do nothing at all – which would be completely understandable, wouldn’t it?
What you should do instead is to draw a diagram of how you currently spend your time. The majority of your time likely revolves around your time at work. This mindset makes your job the centerpiece in your life. Everything else is viewed as being on the side. So the first thing to do is to see if you can create two categories for work, instead of just one.
Your first category would be your current job. Your second category could be seen as an initial project to begin changing your lifestyle and learning how to be self-sufficient and creative with whatever free time you have left. This is the time that you can spend developing the strength to make your own decisions, and putting together a small, part-time endeavor to see how that feels.
The beauty of this approach is that it allows you the freedom to learn and make mistakes, without jeopardizing your current income. You can explore the avenue that makes your heart sing, and begin to figure out what it would take to make that an income-producing endeavor.
Granted, you will have to give up any time-wasting activities that don’t matter, but the rewards will be an ever-increasing sense of strength and self-confidence. If you are consistent in your efforts, then you will slowly begin to learn that perhaps you really can do something on your own! You will be transforming your mindset into one of self-sufficiency instead of dependency on others.
Imagine how amazing it would feel to know that you can do something purposeful that you love, and also provide for yourself by doing it. If you are willing to take the steps in that direction by understanding the necessary changes in mindset, and if you are willing to try from your heart, you can get there!
Is there something that you would rather be doing than your current job? How does this affect you? I would love to hear any thoughts you have on this topic in the comments below 🙂
Thank you for the wonderful blog Saratoga, makes so much sense, and inspiring.
Much love
I’m glad this was helpful for you, Luisa 🙂
I really love mentoring young people and interacting with them and finally empowering them to be independence. This gives me satisfaction, just bringing transformation in the lives of young people but currently am working as an accountant/administrator which i don’t enjoy but rather just do it to get a paycheck at the end. Am glad this article has enlightened me and am going to take a step from today.
If i can get more of such articles will really appreciate.
Regards, Jane from Kenya.
Jane, that would be awesome if you could work at your passion instead of just for a paycheck. And what a wonderful vision you have to help empower young people – I assume in Kenya?
If you like this type of article, you might find my free e-book very helpful for you. Here is a link to download it:
https://saratogaocean.com/5-steps-to-discover-your-lifes-purpose/
Sending you love and blessings to fulfill all your dreams! 🙂
Yes in Kenya specifically the Kibera slums in Nairobi which is one of the biggest slum in Nairobi. I read your book on 5 steps to discover your lifes purpose and that’s how i got to know about you. Am glad it’s very helpful and i refer to it always when i meet with the young people whom i enjoy being with. May the Lord God bless you even with more wisdom to continue enlightening us.
Thank you Saratoga, this is such a wonderful doorway of opportunity. This is one of those things that is so difficult to see one’s way through –but this opens the mind to the real possibilities of being able to do what you feel in your heart, a pathway to finding real purpose. it’s so uplifting to know there’s a way to step into that with the right desire and intention. It’s good to read this again and again too, thank you so much for such a great message! Love and light to you always ♡♡♡☆☆☆♡♡♡ ps this is one of those things I would never would have arrved at – so thank you and Telstar! ♡
Barb, it’s so great that this opened up some new doorways in your thinking. Sometimes that’s all we need. A simple shift in perspective can do wonders! 🙂
Saratoga, I love the term “spiritual entrepreneurship”. As limited as language is, this connotes freedom, creativity and empowerment. The fact that you’ve taken this into the realm of the spiritual makes it much more compelling and aligned with what I know to be my mission in life. It goes beyond what’s taught in courses on entrepreneurship, where I’ve noticed the emphasis is often on finding something to do that makes you a huge amount of money, so you can then have the freedom to pursue your dreams. Life Purpose still seems to be out on the periphery in that context. It feels so much more aligned with the truth in my heart to use the entrepreneurial skills and mindset as a vehicle to enact my purpose.
Many thanks for this invaluable support.
You know, that’s really interesting what you mentioned about making a huge amount of money so you can pursue your dreams. I agree with you wholeheartedly – why make your dreams the last thing on your list? Why not merge the two ideas together and work at doing what you love, that fulfills your sense of purpose in life, right?
I’m so glad you found this helpful, Lucille 🙂