Embrace the Unknown

During your career transition into your purpose work you will inevitably experience feelings of doubt and uncertainty.

David Whyte has an excellent quote about the gift of the unknown:

Some things cannot be spoken or discovered until we have been stuck, incapacitated, or blown off course for awhile. Plain sailing is pleasant, but you are not going to explore many unknown realms that way. —David Whyte

You NEED to go into unknown realms to find yourself and your purpose. A mentor once told me that unless you define your work then your work will define you. Defining our work is an ingredient in purpose work.

Remembering that each chapter in life has a beginning, middle and an end will set you free. I often tell my clients when the fear arises during career exploration to remind themselves that their story is not complete, that they are in the middle of the chapter not the end.

Remembering that you only have this one precious short life, how can you embrace the unknown? Remembering that you have a purpose in this life and on this planet, how can you embrace the unknown? Remembering the whispers you hear in your dreams and the moments of clarity that you are meant to do something different in your work life, how can you embrace the unknown?

Here are some tools to help you embrace the unknown during your career transition:

**Create a work altar. Go around your house and gather objects that inspire you. They do not have to make sense. They just need to leave you will a feeling of inspiration and hope. Create this altar and tend to it daily. Have it be a physical reminder that you are in transition, you are in the middle of your story and one day the end result will come for this chapter in your life.

**Create a tribe of support women in your life. Whether group includes a coach, therapist, and some friends, just make sure they fully support you and your vision unconditionally. Your tribe will remind you when you forget or get scared that you are creating something from the soul. You are connecting your heart and soul with work. Hold onto this group of women and receive their love and support.

**Go into nature, alot, daily if you can. Notice the trees, the water, the sky, the clouds, the birds, the deer. Slow down. Walk mindfully through the trees and let yourself be supported by the beauty of this earth. Let yourself be held by nature. Sit under a tree and journal your dreams. Remember the vision you held as a child. Let yourself get lost in hope and nature’s connection.

**Float in a body of water. Let your body fully relax and be held by the water. Allow the water to be a metaphor for a higher power, knowing that you are being taken care of at all moments, especially in the unknown realms.

**Get a piece of paper and write in capital letters the word HOW, draw a circle around it, and then put a line through HOW from the top of the circle diagonally across. Hang it up where you can see it daily as a visual reminder that you are in a new realm, not like any other chapter of your life. You do not know how you will reach your destination, but you are going to keep taking baby steps that will add up one day at a time. The HOW will be clear at the end of the chapter.

The most important daily tool when you feel scared, stuck, and off course is to BREATHE, BREATHE, and BREATHE some more. The answer will surface, I promise, you just need to stay present and persistent.