Spiritual awakening can often be triggered by the challenges we face in our career (and in our life). Through a desperate need to find new solutions, new meaning we wake up to the truth of who we are. And who we are not. And we connect more deeply to the higher force which supports us. Here I share with you how you can use your career challenge as a catalyst to a spiritual awakening. Plus an insight into my own career-triggered spiritual awakening journey.
Spiritual Awakening: What is it?
Spiritual awakening is when we realise the truth of who we are underneath the roles we play and the external things we identify with. When we become aware of our essence identity as an expression of Universal Consciousness/God/Source/The Divine.
Spiritual awakening is when we come to know that true fulfilment and peace can only really come from within. And that it has been waiting there for us all this time, whilst we’ve been off searching for answers, and grasping for meaning externally. And looking for other people and things to give us what we need. Be that validation, love, status, purpose or inner peace.
Spiritual awakening is about being present in this moment. Acknowledging that this moment is all there is and where our true power lies. It’s about connecting with the aliveness within us and surrounding us.
Spiritual awakening is also the ability to transcend thought. To recognise the thinker as who we truly are rather than what we think about.
Spiritual Awakening: How to recognise it
Some of you may already have had a spiritual awakening, whilst others may wonder if you’re going through one right now. Or you may simply be curious as to what a spiritual awakening is.
To identify a spiritual awakening, you may notice some of the following:
- a sense that there is something bigger out there which connects everyone and everything
- a sense that there is something deeper within you than what you project to the outside world
- a feeling of inner peace emerging and the ability to connect with stillness (e.g. in nature)
- a disconnection from many of the things which had previously brought you meaning
- a realisation that what you are looking for might already exist within you
Spiritual Awakening: How your career challenge can become a catalyst
There are so many triggers within our working life which can create anxiety, stress, discontent and disharmony. The need to compete with colleagues. The office politics and the race to climb the ladder. The worry of a looming redundancy. The fear of whether there will be enough clients if you go self-employed. The disappointment of being overlooked for a promotion. And the disillusionment of getting the promotion and still feeling unfulfilled. Perhaps one of the most common trigger which I see in my coaching practice is the feeling of misalignment. The lack of connection to purpose and the misery of holding back from being true to oneself.
The yearning for change and to move beyond these triggers and their associated emotional states can become a powerfully motivating force. Having tried everything in the outer world, the call can come to finally look within. Deeply. In this way, our work challenge can be viewed as a blessing rather than a curse. Without it, perhaps we would not have been so motivated to search for meaning or guidance or to make sense of the world in a new way. Because once you have, the impact of a spiritual awakening will reverberate across your entire life.
So, however bad you may perceive your current career situation to be, I encourage you to take a step back. To look at it in a new light. To trust that you are right where you need to be and that this could be the start of a spiritual awakening for you. Or maybe you have already had a spiritual awakening and this will propel you deeper.
Spiritual Awakening: My personal journey
There have been several major career-related triggers which have led to my spiritual awakening (along with lots of little ones, every day).
1. My first job and searching for something deeper under the surface (2001)
I spent 5 years at the beginning of my career working in Palm Beach – one of the wealthiest towns in the United States. The identification with material wealth which I witnessed was something which never sat well with me. It made me question what life was truly about under the surface. I spent my weekends reading spiritual books, walking along the beach, searching for answers. At the time I couldn’t quite understand why I didn’t connect with the things others were aspiring to. It didn’t make sense to me. I felt alone in my quest for deeper meaning. My career was going well and yet something felt out of alignment for me. Looking back now, I know I was right where I needed to be. This was the first time I had a proper sense of there being a different ‘me’ under the surface. I awakened to the possibility that something more meaningful existed and made the decision to move back to the UK.
2. Feeling disconnected from the Corporate World (2010)
In 2003 I embarked on a career in the corporate world, working for the likes of Sainsbury’s and Boots. By 2010, I was feeling jaded and disconnected from my purpose. So, I took the plunge, quit my job and embarked on a 5 month career break in Australia. I was yearning to find my place in the world. To align with what truly mattered. What happened out there was truly transformative. I left behind my old identity (as a Buyer), along with all my possessions and connections. And, after 2 weeks of wondering what the heck I had done, I was finally able to see clearly the true me. And to connect with the Universe in a way that I never had before. I had no job, no income, no house or friends around me but I felt pure ecstasy just from looking out to sea. Life made sense to me in a new way. I realised that true happiness was an inside job.
3. Sensing a deeper calling (2015)
When I went into business with 3 amazing talented women I felt my career had reached its pinnacle. For the first 3 years, I was blissfully happy. I felt like everything which had gone before me had been leading me to this point. But underneath that was an emerging sense that there was something else for me to do. A deeper purpose which was away from the commercial world. Even though that was all I knew. Again, this forced me into some deep soul-searching and connecting with the Universe in an even more profound way. Whilst my work as a Spiritual Career Coach is now fully aligned with my True Self and I feel more fulfilled than ever before, I also recognise that this is an outer source of fulfilment. I still need to remind myself each day that I am more than this (as I believe we all are). And that true fulfilment comes from knowing that and connecting with that inner peace which resides within.
Spiritual Awakening: How to open upto it within your working life
Whilst a spiritual awakening is often something which happens spontaneously, there are some things you can do to open up to the possibility of it.
Firstly, recognise some of the triggers which can actually awaken you:
- a difficult relationship with your boss
- feeling terrified to make a career change
- drawing yourself into comparison with your colleagues
- disconnection from your purpose and a lack of fulfilment
- a loss of meaning in what you do
- not getting the promotion you went for
- getting to where you wanted to but still feeling deeply unfulfilled
- not knowing who you are any more
- feeling constantly out of balance and stressed
- worrying about the security of your job
- wishing you were valued more at work
- lacking confidence in your role
Then, secondly, recognise that you have a choice in how you respond. Here are a few ideas on what you can do to open up to a spiritual awakening :
- meditate on the idea that you are not your job/title (or your lack of one) – you are something far greater
- create space to just be – get out into nature, spend time in the bath or even just gazing at the spaciousness of the sky
- journal about the feelings that are stirring for you underneath the surface (e.g. feeling out of alignment, or not feeling fulfilled by things in the outer world)
- take a look at your situation from your higher self perspective – what does this open up for you?
- use the voices which pop into your head at work (the ego, the inner critic) to become aware – that’s not who you truly are, you are the thinker of those thoughts
- invite the Universe in to support you – create a connection through prayer or meditation and ask for help
- become more present in work situations and recognise the power you have in that moment to access your higher self and the guidance of the Universe
I hope that my sharing this with you can provide some new perspective to your current career challenge. I believe everyday represents an opportunity for us to awaken, if we choose to. and when we do, there's no going back!
here's to your awakening...
Hello, I'm Rebecca
Career Coach for people on a spiritual path
I support mid-career professionals who are ready to make a career change, launch into a more purpose-led career or business or simply enjoy a more fulfilling or balanced working life.
I believe that we all have a purpose here on earth and that life is too short to be stressed, unfulfilled and playing small.
