Choosing a vocation key to fulfilling career

As a career coach, I am frequently asked advice, especially by young people, on how to successfully choose the right career. The choice of a career is one of the most important decisions that we make in life, so it is important that we choose well. Our work should be much more than what we do in order to make money. Most of us will spend the lion’s share of our lives working, so it is critical for our well- being to be happy and fulfilled in what we do.

Sigmund Freud, the great psychoanalyst, stated that to be happy in life, we needed to be “happy in love, and happy in work.” Our work affects who we are because it is where we invest much of our time. The more time we spend doing something, the more we imbue it with our consciousness. What we give our consciousness and awareness to ultimately expands, thus our work will ultimately fill our lives with the reality that it represents.

When choosing a career, be sure to look beyond the surface attractions. Give serious consideration to what the job entails on a regular basis and be sure that this is the way you want to spend you time. If you fail to give these factors careful consideration, your job will become restricting and self-limiting, instead of a vehicle for the expression of your deepest desires and beliefs. When choosing a career, you will find more happiness and fulfillment if you think of it as a vocation. The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word for “calling”, which comes from the word for voice. Thus, your career should be something that gives “voice” to who you are and what you wish to express to the world.

Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you seek in the world.” Ideally, our vocation should be a vehicle to make this change a reality. Finding a vocation is often not easy. We can’t really decide what career we want just by thinking about it. We have to try it out and see how it fits. Give yourself the opportunity to let your work take you over until it becomes you and you become it. Only then can you truly decide whether to embrace it or abandon it.

So, follow your heart and soul’s desire and do what they tell you to do. No amount of security or wealth is worth ignoring your heart and soul’s desire. Choose a vocation and not a job, and your life will never be the same. Dr. Raymond Angelini of New Horizons Coaching has been in private practice for 30 years in Saratoga Springs. He specializes in assisting individuals in finding and sustaining careers that are more rewarding, lifeenhancing and in keeping with one’s personal and spiritual values. For more information, email rayangel1@live.com or visit his website at www. newhorizonscoaching.com.