You wake up at night. Thoughts circle. You think about tomorrow. You think of the tedious meeting that awaits you, the to-do list that has become unmanageable, the unanswered emails, the report you have to write and the presentation that is due.
You're wide awake, but you badly need sleep, rolling from one side to another.
You look at the luminescent numbers of your alarm clock and calculate briefly how many hours you can still sleep until the alarm rings.
If you fall asleep right now, you could sleep another 3 hours, but you know that's out of the question. Your circling thoughts are stronger.
And you know, you just have to go through that. The job has its downsides.
That's the same everywhere. No job is perfect. One may also be dissatisfied with the job. You have to live with that.
Sometimes you just wish that weekend would start immediately, if you could just unwind for a couple of hours or even days, just skip a few unloved moments to get straight to the pleasant stages.
Stop! Do you sometimes wish to skip moments, moments, hours, days? You want to shorten the little time that we have in our lives, by wanting to skip something? Does not every moment deserve to be something that has meaning? Meaning for you, for the people around you, for everyone, for the world!
Yes, that would be nice. But your reason tells you that this is not so easy. As I said, life is not a pony farm.
The ticking of the clock reminds you suddenly that you should actually sleep and not run after any childish daydreams.
Naturally. Because reason was stronger. Because we have to do something decent, something solid. And during the earlier stages in your life, it all felt very different. It was clear that international corporations are waiting for you, that you are quickly moving up the career ladder and not patting eternities in middle management in front of you. "Never work again" certainly sounds a little like a utopia.
There's a beautiful quote from Confucius:
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
But somehow the supposed "dream job" that you envisioned in glowing colors during your studies has already lost its shine after a few months. And so you are here now, wishing that it would be Friday afternoon. But suddenly you ask yourself:
How long should I continue this?
For the first time in your life, the thought of spending 10 minutes on the question what your vocation could be does no longer sound absolutely ridiculous. Quite the contrary.
The thoughts that are now floating in your head are different. They are somehow... inspiring.
A few years ago something similar happened to me. The thought of doing something of meaning, something of real value was suddenly there and could not be gotten away.
It is up to you to find something that you like to do and to figure out how you can make your own successful business and at the same time find your meaning in life.
And this does not automatically mean that you instantly quit your job and dive in head first.
The word sits on a pedestal. It word has power and meaning. And it scares you. Because it's so big and powerful because it's so engaging. And because it is so final. And that's what scares you. Because it is not a powerful word for you but faints you.
We know that large projects, big goals are divided into intermediate steps. Into milestones and smaller project phases. In short, it's simply a technique that makes the big thing a little easier and more tangible for our minds.
This word has more weight than "vocation". We hardly use it in everyday life, because it seems so "off the hook". For me, it means the following: The person that has discovered their purpose in life simply cannot help but live it. There is no alternative.
You are so determined that you give up everything, if need be, even your own life.
And when it comes to determination, there are no more doubts. Someone who lives his destiny does not others to encourage them. It simply happens.
Similarly powerful, but less absolute is the word "vocation". It is a call but it is up to you to choose whether you wish to follow it or not. You can "ignore" your calling. Consciously or unconsciously.
When I do something with passion, I'm in the flow, full of it, not looking at the clock, forgetting time. Passionate themes make your eyes light up or let the highest emotions arise. Passion makes us do things we ordinarily do not trust ourselves to do.
Passion makes you think less and act more. But passion is not omnipresent as vocation or even determination. It does not dictate your life but enriches it.
Maybe this level is your entry into a self-determined life and work.
The great aspect of enthusiasm: it can be kindled. Through you, through the things you do. Determination, vocation, passion are there before. Enthusiasm develops through doing.
And here is the good news for all "I have no purpose" people who think that they will never have something of "their own" with which to succeed. Throw the other three words overboard.
Let the excitement come, let it arise, WHILE you are already doing it. Do not wait until your calling gives you the signal to start acting.
At the bottom of the pyramid lies "fun". It is the basis for everything else. Without fun, being successful in what you do becomes a lot more difficult.
Therefore, it does not have to be your destiny, calling or vocation that you follow. If you want to successfully live and work independently there does not have to be an epiphanic moment. What matters most is that you pursue something that you actually like.
Much can arise out of doing what you enjoy and a lot of hard work.
Many do not start to realize their dream of a self-determined life and work, because they want to go too far up.
If you do not have a driver's license yet, you will not think of how to win the Monaco Grand Prix. This idea seems logical. However, when it comes to our professional lives, we all believe that we have to immediately get the first place at the top. Right into the Champions League.
But that's not how it works for most. This is why it is so important to pursue the things you really like. By doing what you like, you have a much higher chance of obtaining excellence than by dragging yourself into a job that you don't actually like.
