Written by: Andrée Funnell, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Discovering our passion and purpose in life is vital to our joy and well-being. The problem is that many people have lost touch with any sense of their passion and purpose and have no idea how to access this information. Do any of the statements below resonate with you?
“I know there’s something I’m supposed to be doing, but I don’t know how to find out what it is.”
“I don’t seem to be passionate about anything.”
I’ve heard these phrases over and over from my clients.
Authentic Self
The answer for this information lies within our core authentic self. Furthermore, our essence, the true authentic self, is often buried during our early years. If our true Authentic Self was not seen and validated by our parents, teachers, or other caregivers, it is likely to have gone underground. We create our wounded self to avoid pain and create love. Our wounded self has within it all of our fears and false beliefs. In addition, it does not have access to what is true for us.
How, then, do we discover our passion and purpose if the blueprint for this information is long-buried? The good news is that while it is buried, it is not lost. Instead, you can reclaim this information if you are willing to do the inner work of healing your wounded self.
I’ve worked with hundreds of clients, who as they go through their journey of self-discovery with me as part of my 90-day program, gradually heal:
Their fears and identify
Core values
Limiting beliefs
Self-sabotaging behaviors
Gain clarity and confidence to the point where their true Authentic Self starts to appear.
Your authentic self is the person who feels joy, fulfillment, contentment, success and can express these feelings to the world. As you allow this aspect to emerge, you will gradually discover what truly brings you joy. You will also feel confident, and your self-esteem will soar to great heights.
In our society, we tend to ignore our special talents and choose our careers according to what will give us a sense of security. Too often, however, what makes us feel safe does not fulfill us spiritually.
My Story
Art College was my dream. I was very creative and loved drawing and painting; however, my parents insisted I went to Secretarial College. They told me that I would have a job for life and get a job in a bank. Working in a bank was regarded as a prestigious career and a good place to work. However, deep down, I knew that this was not my chosen path.
So off I went to Secretarial College and excelled and got a job as an Audio Secretary for John Lewis. A role as a Legal Secretary for BP Chemicals was the next stage in my career. The start of my HR career began at BP International as an HR Adviser. This was swiftly followed by a role as an HR Manager at a Swedish company called Molnlycke. My final corporate role was HR & Training Manager, a Senior Management role for Tesco Logistics for seven years. I looked after 800 personnel, and my workload and stress levels were unbelievable. I finally walked away with no idea of what I was going to do next.
In my career as an HR & Training Manager, I was rewarded with a great salary and had all the trappings of a Senior Management position. However, I was unhappy, unfulfilled, and stressed. My health and wellbeing and my family relationships were all at risk.
Looking back I realize that my confidence, health and wellbeing were being jeopardized due to the fact that I was overworked and had a highly demanding and stressful job. However, there was something else more fundamental to my unhappiness. What was it?
Imposter Syndrome
The answer is:
I was not living in alignment with my core values. My limiting beliefs were embedded, i.e., ‘I am not good enough,’ and I felt confined and constrained by rules, regulations, and feeling that I had to fall in line with organizational expectations and social norms. I believed I had to act and behave in ways that went against my values and left me feeling low in confidence, self-esteem and I was miserable. I realize now that when I started in the role, I had ‘imposter syndrome.’ In other words, I was not my true authentic self and was an imposter in my own skin. This led to me being frustrated, unfulfilled and unhappy.
Many of my clients present similar stories and symptoms, and some are suffering from anxiety and depression. Some realize they are not living their values or purpose in life and are miserable, unfulfilled, and feel unsuccessful. Is that you?
So ask yourself, ‘are you being authentic and living the life and purpose you were set out to do?
Or are you living someone else’s dream or ideals, such as a parent?
Do you yearn to discover your passion and purpose in life?
Case Study — Sarah
My client Sarah enrolled in a one-to-one 90-day coaching program. As a result, she has not only changed her career path but nailed the job of her dreams with a £5k hike in her salary. Three months ago, she came to me with low self-confidence and self-esteem and had lost her vision and passion. However, by implementing the strategies I gave her, she has totally transformed her mindset, career, and life and is financially better off.
While it may not always be possible to change your work to something you love immediately, it will often lead you there if you follow your passion. And even when you have to earn money in ways that do not express your soul, you can seek volunteer opportunities and hobbies to express who you are. Often these can lead to the work that you will eventually do.
Right now, you’re probably feeling one of these 3 things…
Undervalued, frustrated, and overlooked in your career, and want to work for a company that appreciates your skills, experience, and achievements.
Maybe you feel trapped or restrained by low self-esteem and need to find the confidence and courage to stand up for what you deserve and desire in your career.
Or maybe you’ve achieved promotion, and you want to rise to what is expected of you to succeed and excel in your new role.
Your soul has a deep desire for you to express yourself in ways that bring you joy. It is your job to discover what that is and to bring it about.
Finally, if you are ready to find your purpose and passion and build your confidence, credibility, and vision to skyrocket your life and/or career and have the authentic, fulfilled life or job you deserve? Then I would love to hear from you. To find out more, contact me at info@behind-the-mask-book.com.
Andrée Funnell, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Andrée is a multi-award-winning Coach, Learning & Development Consultant, best-selling author, and speaker. She is the founder and driving force behind the success of Aspiring Future Competence (AFC). Since its inception in 2002, AFC has helped clients across a wide range of business sectors to get visible, get heard, and get ahead by applying inspirational ways to bring about positive change and empowerment. She has over 20 years of HR & training experience working in corporate organizations and a further 18 years delivering development solutions that make a difference to people’s careers and lives. She is a qualified coach, professional trainer, and NLP Practitioner. She discovered that Authenticity is the key to happiness, fulfillment, and success and is keen to get the message out there to others. ‘Behind the Mask’ is Andrée’s literary debut about ‘Authenticity.’ It’s an essential interactive step-by-step guide to turning your life around and achieving the kind of life you deserve by living authentically.
