What you were never told may be holding you back

When you are in a career that matches your own dharma, you feed your inner essence and gain more satisfaction. You will be able to reach heights you never dreamed possible.

by Tara Patricia — 

We are told from our first years in school onward to look at the subjects we do well in and focus on those areas for a career. We are told to study diligently and take advantage of different opportunities for advancement. We are told to look at the pay scale and health benefits a job has to offer. We are told to work hard and climb our way to the top so we can afford the comforts of life and reap the rewards of our efforts.

Why is it then that so many of us follow this recipe and still end up feeling like something is missing? How is it that while we may enjoy our career, we sometimes still struggle with the need to do more or search further for personal fulfillment? The answer is simple. It is because most of us were never told to take our divinity into consideration when it comes to choosing our careers.

Before you think I have gone off the deep end, let me explain myself. By divinity, I am referring to the natural talents or gifts we have inside us. While this concept is newer to the Western way of thought, the idea of allowing your talents, or dharma, to lead your way has been embraced in Eastern cultures for thousands of years.

Dharma is a Sanskrit word that has no real literal translation in English. Simply put, dharma is the way you were meant to live and that which makes you feel truly alive. It is your own personal flow of life.

You can think of it like this: Dharma is the art an artist must create, the music a musician must play, or the sport an athlete must perform to feel alive. It is your own path that connects you with who you were meant to be in life.

We are all born with talents or gifts. When we utilize our talents, we are connecting to the divine inside of ourselves. This concept is easy to understand when we listen to the child prodigy as she glides her nimble fingers across the keys of a baby grand, or when we watch the young man as he is drafted early into the big leagues.

But what about the rest of us? We have our own set of talents, as well. Why is it that we have not experienced the ultimate benefits of our own gifts? How is it that we worked hard but still harbor feelings that something is lacking in our own careers?

One of the main purposes for humans here on this earth is to connect to our higher selves. This goes for everything you do. Since you are at your job for such a long period of your life, this is one of the areas where you must begin to get in synch with your life’s purpose in order to experience true fulfillment.

Think about this for a moment: If you get up every morning and go to a job that leaves you feeling dissatisfied, it will slowly drain your spirit and impede your motivation. This is because you are going against what you were meant to do in life.

When you are in a career that matches your own dharma, you feed your inner essence and gain more satisfaction. You will be able to reach heights you never dreamed possible.

To go one step further, when you connect to your own divinity and use your talents to serve humanity, you will experience joy and fulfillment. This is because you are connecting with your true purpose and simultaneously lifting others in the process.

This is where you allow your spirit to take over and the process of life to unfold. By reaching this deeper level of connection, you are tapping into your higher self and will encounter personal fulfillment in the task at hand. So while it is important to look at areas of study you excelled at in school, you must go one step further and look at your natural passions and talents.

So how do you discover your own personal dharma? You have already seen glimpses of it in your life, whether or not you have realized it. The times that you have felt inspired, you were connecting with your inner divinity. After all, the word “inspired” comes from the Latin “breathe in.” When you blissfully lost track of time while performing a particular task, you were connected to your dharma.

Ask yourself what are your passions and how do you make use of your talents to fulfill this part of your life? Clear your mind by releasing the clutter of fear and negativity. Only with clarity can you begin to see your true essence and be your own coach.

What would you do if failure is not an option? Ask yourself what would it take for you to do what is more meaningful. Take an inventory of your talents and passions and then ask: How can I begin to implement my talents in my current career to make it more fulfilling?

Finding your dharma is the missing link to complete fulfillment in the workplace. It is what will take you to the highest level and leave you feeling alive and inspired so that you can reach beyond your dreams.

Tara Patricia is the author of The Road You Were Meant to Travel and a speaker in the field of self-transformation. She holds a master’s degree in psychology with advanced post-graduate studies in clinical and neuropsychology, and has worked for many years with families and suicidal adolescents. www.tarapatricia.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 30, Number 4, August/September 2011.