How To Follow Your True Calling

7 tips to help you unleash your inner power

Do you know what your true calling is? If so, congratulations – it seems there aren´t too many out there who are clear on what their life´s purpose is. Many of us are so involved in day-to-day struggles that we can´t seem to find the time and/or energy to think about what we truly want in our career and life. We have an idea, a repetitive thought, a nagging gut feeling that tells us that it´s time to do something more meaningful, to follow our passion and purpose – but we are too afraid to try and potentially fail. So we silence our inner voice and continue on our well known mainstream path that just isn´t the right one for us.
 

I believe that there is nothing more costly than ignoring your purpose and living an unfulfilled life. And I know what I´m talking about – I didn´t dare to listen to my inner voice that told me that I´m not living the life I´m supposed to live, that something is missing, that that´s not it. Moreover, when I finally had an idea of what my true calling could look like, it took me years to finally find the courage and follow my dreams. YEARS. What a waste of time. Now that I am following my true calling, I can honestly say that I´ve never felt happier in my life. I feel fulfilled, whole and true to myself.

Today it is my mission to help others create the career and life they truly love and I want to share some of the advice, tips and insights with you from my experience as a coach – and a woman who has struggled for so long –  to encourage YOU to start finding and following your true calling. 

I gathered seven wonderful tips for you that will help you unleash your inner power and courageously create the career and life you truly love: 

Know Your Why

When you know your true calling, you know your Why. Knowing why you want to create a certain career and life will help you stay on track even in hard times – and there will be hard times. Moments of doubt and fear, obstacles that you didn´t anticipate and stressful situations will show up on your journey – if nothing is certain, that is. 

Your Why is your anchor in good times and in bad. Hold on to it and you will stay on track no matter what. There will be no doubt that what you are doing is the right thing, no hesitation, no second thoughts. So dive deep and get clear on your reasons, your mission, and your core. 

Tweak your Why until it fits your unique you, make sure that it is YOUR Why and not that of your parents, friends or society. And reconnect with your Why on a regular basis so you don´t lose sight of it – it is your partner in crime, your motor, your anchor, your core. 

The Power of Visualization

This one alone might just change your life. Visualizing your bright future will help you get clearer on what you actually want, connect you with your deeper Why and bring you closer to your goals. Imagine your dream has come true and you are living the life you truly want – what would it look, feel, and taste like? Include all of your senses to take it in as much as possible. Where are you, what are you doing, what are you wearing, who is with you? Take 10 minutes to dive right into your bright future. 

Our brain cannot distinguish between dream and reality so it will feel like it´s really happening. Get into your feelings – how does it feel to live the life of your dreams, to have the career you always wanted? Visualizing your brightest future always puts a huge smile on the face of my clients – and I´m certain it will do the trick for you, too. Through this simple exercise, you can connect with your true calling and take the pictures and feelings with you into your day-to-day life. And when you have a tough moment, just dive right in again, reconnect with your Why and get ready for a turbo boost moment full of energy. Yes, when you do this visualization regularly, it might just change your life.

Let Fear Guide Your Way

Fear and doubt are usually the first emotions that come up when we try to change our path – or even start thinking about it. Fear is powerful and it usually stops us right in our tracks – we start to think of all the possible and impossible things that might or might not happen when we follow our true calling, when we dare to be our truest self. This is ok and to be expected. What we tend to forget is that courage and fear usually go hand in hand – you wouldn´t need to be courageous if something was easy and you weren´t afraid, right? Therefore, don´t worry if you are afraid – just do it anyway. 

You know, magic usually happens outside your comfort zone and that´s exactly where fear and doubt are waiting. They try to keep us in our comfort zone – everything new is too dangerous, what if something bad happens, what if you fail, what if people will laugh at you, what if … there are endless “What if´s” waiting for you outside your comfort zone. Try to reframe it by being excited – awesome, fear is here, that means I´m stretching, I´m outside my comfort zone, I´m growing and developing. Let fear guide your way – not by running away from it, but by running right to it, knowing that you are on the right path, the one you haven´t walked on yet. 

Take Action NOW

It´s important to have a plan and to know at least a part of the way. However, don´t fall into the perfectionism trap. You will never know whether you have the perfect plan, if you don´t start taking action. Overthinking is just as bad. A friend of mine once told me “You can´t think yourself into a new way of acting, you need to act yourself into a new way of thinking”. So true. It´s funny how often we believe we are active when we are actually “just” thinking - and stay stuck. 

So don´t spend years pondering over the first step, the right path, whether you should or shouldn´t do something and definitely don´t wait until you are confident. It won´t happen. Just start NOW and courageously take one little step at a time. Confidence is built on the way – the more successful you are, the more confident you will become. 

Or are you the one who always finds an excuse not to do something? Then it´s time to stop listening to your excuses. Yes, you might need to lower the speed if someone you love needs your support or if money is tight, but don´t fall for the excuses you tell yourself and hold yourself trapped in your comfort zone forever. That´s not where you grow. So find solutions to your problems and take one step at a time. Before you know it, you will look back over your shoulder and be astonished how far you´ve come. 

Fail Forward

This is one of the best tips ever – fail forward. We are so afraid of making mistakes that we seem to prefer to stay stuck forever. When did we lose our adventurous spirit? Kids fail forward all the time. They don´t care if they make mistakes and just try again – full of joy and energy. 

Learning to walk includes a lot of failing forward. We wouldn´t walk today if we had given up as a toddler. So why are we so afraid to fail as adults? Letting go of this fear of failing is the best thing you can do when you want to move forward and explore new horizons. There is no learning without making mistakes. So fasten your seat belt and enjoy the bumpy ride with childlike curiosity – whole-heartedly and with a huge excited smile on your face. 

The Power of Accountability

I once read the suggestion not to share your goals with anyone – so that if you fail, no one will know and you thus can avoid any pressure. Well, you might avoid the pressure, but not the failing, because without accountability you might not even start. And what´s worse than not even trying? 

I totally believe in the power of accountability – as soon as you tell someone you trust in your endeavors, you will feel committed and are much more likely to start AND to stay on track. Because wouldn´t it be embarrassing if you gave up now that you shared your goals with someone? It´s one of the coolest tools in coaching – and you can use it any time you set a goal that´s a bit of a stretch (everything else is not a real goal anyway). 

Following your true calling is definitely a goal worth sharing with a friend, family member, colleague, coach or mentor. You can tell one person or shout it out on the street, at work or on social media. If you post it on Facebook, the pressure is definitely on, because I´m sure one of your 1,000 friends will get back to you and ask you about your goals. If you want to take away the pressure of public exposure, just ask someone who cares about you and your success in person to be your accountability partner and check on you regularly. This will still do the trick – and you do want to keep your word, don´t you?

Take a Break and Celebrate Your Wins

Finally yet importantly, I highly recommend taking a break occasionally and celebrating your successes – the big and the small ones. Time flies by so quickly and we are often so engaged in day-to-day business that we forget to take a deep breath and a look at our wins. Whenever you get outside your comfort zone, dare to do something for the first time, take a stand for your values, yourself and your dreams – it´s time to pat yourself on the back, stand tall and be proud of yourself. 

I highly recommend writing down your wins on a regular basis – when you´re stacking your successes on paper you can always look at them when you need a boost of self-confidence and reassurance that you´re on the right track. Following your true calling is a huge mission, an adventurous journey that never really ends. It is exciting, sometimes strenuous, definitely rewarding and the most awesome gift you can give yourself. So take a break occasionally and celebrate your wins. With a glass of champagne, a coffee with a friend, a new book, a walk in the woods, a party or some travels. Your wins, your celebrations. You deserve it all and so much more. 

I believe there is nothing more important than living your truest, most authentic life and realizing your dreams. So enjoy this awesome journey and dare to be your true you – the world needs you to follow your true calling, to be the most stupendous version of yourself. I encourage you to start today. One step at a time. 

Author Bio

Alexandra Deubner, Mag. MSc is an international career and life coach, trainer and speaker from Vienna, Austria. She just finished an online show called “The True You Show” where she interviewed 22 international experts on how we can unleash our inner power and courageously create the career and life we love – a topic she is absolutely passionate about.  Visit www.alexandradeubner.com Connect Alexandra Deubner