My fundamental belief is that work is a noble activity. When you find the work that you were born for, work is a positive experience offering you tremendous possibilities for fulfilment, growth, purpose and happiness, as well as money.
At it's best, work can even be a spiritual experience, a vehicle for you to discover your own unique gifts and talents and share them with people in a meaningful way.
When you don't find the right work for you, the opportunity for you to have those experiences are severely diminished, and your emotional and physical health can suffer.
When I was young I felt I had a mission in life, something I was here to do and be, but I could never quite figure out what it was.
I decided it must be a hopeless and romantic fantasy, so I buried it away. I got a degree in business studies and a diploma in marketing and set off to be successful, which at the time for me was much more of an outer experience. I was concerned with achievements and things that could demonstrate, "Look, I am a success. Look at what I have achieved."
So by my late 20's I had a nice flat in London and a BMW. On the outside I looked a success. But something wasn't right; my heart and soul were not engaged in what I was doing.
I actually felt a bit fraudulent. I wanted to be more authentic, more creative - to have more meaning in my life through my work.
After years of soul searching, I decided to follow the quiet voice of inspiration in my heart. It was one of the most courageous things I ever did! I was 5% inspired and 95% terrified and doubting.
Today, I have become a successful writer with five books, including a bestseller. I am in demand as a coach and speaker all over the world and have given talks in 15 countries. A good proportion of the time, I feel fulfilled and even blessed that I get to do what I do. That I get to inspire and touch the lives of thousands of people is something sacred for me. Now I have a sense of purpose in my life that endures and evolves.
What can enable you to bring your heart to your work, or create work that you can express your heart through? I would like to share the story of Jennifer, who dared to set up her own business.
Jennifer, a trained nurse and health visitor, is running an independent training consultancy. What's amazing is that she achieved this at a point in her life when everything seemed to be going against her.
When I met Jennifer she was in a senior position in the NHS in England but had reached a plateau and had found there were few opportunities for further skills development. She was very nervous of changing her career as she was newly divorced, had a massive mortgage and a son to support.
After the course she was able to reflect, "Having no money was the root of all my fears. My negative thoughts about debt blocked my creative energy. I had stopped trusting that the world was a place that could support my dreams. After doing Nick's exercises I realised that what I needed was more self-confidence and inner trust. I knew I had a passion for communication and teaching. What had to change was my belief that it was possible to follow my instincts and produce enough income to support my son."
When Jennifer first decided to try out her dream, her initial step was to drop her regular working hours to three days a week. She then used her two days off to work on developing her training consultancy and studied during free time to get a Diploma in Counselling. Beforelong she was able to set up a private practice.
These days Jennifer has two trainers working for her and she has been invited to teach her courses in five other countries.
She explained to me, "The most exciting thing is waking up in the morning bursting with ideas, and being able to put them into practice. My inspiration and creativity is something I can now easily follow up on."
Earning money was never Jennifer's primary objective and she has been slightly amazed that in the years since she started working for herself, her annual business turnover is in excess of £100,000.
She explains, "Money has not been an issue since I let go of my concerns. I have learnt to trust the process of creation and know that somehow it always works out just right. To this day, I don't have a formal business plan. I have continued to follow my heart and my inspiration. New and exciting opportunities open up each week. If I have an idea, I tell people about it. What I have noticed is that many of these shared 'ideas' come back as offers of work."
Jennifer has now published her first book, Thought-Catcher. Her book aims to help people take the steps to achieve their personal goals.
Here are the four fundamental forces that I believe can guide you to the work you were born to do:
Inspiration - the work you were born to do comes from inspiration rather than logic and evaluation. The thought of it gladdens your heart and uplifts you. What inspires you most will point you at what you have come here to do and be.
Resistance - is the twin soul of inspiration, and you could find that an easy route to discovering what you love is to examine what you put most energy into avoiding. Most of my own significant accomplishments have been a result of moving through some resistance. Remember you can grow bigger than your resistance.
Talents and Gifts - the work you were born for is built upon your strengths and by developing your natural talent. A talent nurtured over time with enough love and commitment can become a gift. Ultimately your gifts become easy and natural to manifest, but you may spend years developing your talent until you become an expert.
Skills and Know How - you do need your head as well as your heart. As well as inspiration and talent, the work you were born for calls you to develop good thinking. You need good strategies to learn how to bring your ideas to fruition and turn them into an income. But you don't have to know all the how's before you start, you can learn as you go, either formally through great teachers and role models or through insight and experience.
For more information, check out www.nick-williams.com