During my studies to become an executive coach, I have had to do a lot of soul searching and evaluating my life, my goals, my desires. I have also had to start practice coaching and then talking to my coach about how I was finding the experience, what I was saying, what I should avoid saying, whether I was helping my client with their goals for the session.

I had the pleasure of coaching someone who has made a number of big career changes in life. This person is intuitive and sensitive and works hard in their current career. I would not call their work ‘a job’. The fascinating thing about this person is his whole and total commitment to his work – and this is partly the explanation for the career changes. When the work is no longer completely compelling, he is not able to do it anymore. This wholeheartedness, this total engagement in his work is what makes people reach out and connect to him and what makes him so good at what he does. However, it can also be really draining, because he gives himself so completely to the people he is working with, which can result in burnout and exhaustion.

In a recent business class I took, there was a discussion by the guest speaker who articulated the difference between livelihood and lovelihood. For many of us, we work to pay the bills, our work is just a job, and like many things in life has pros and cons and we march on. Yet for others, there is a calling. My uncle was like that – persuading his pediatrician to give him his tonsils in a jar of formaldehyde, dissecting dead animals in order to understand anatomy, following his dream to become a doctor. This coachee is like this. He lives to work, rather then works to live. His presence, his beingness is what engages people – less than his doingness.

This authenticity in his being is something that is beautiful to behold. It makes for sincere and honest interactions, which is a hugely positive way to engage with the world. Raise your glass to those people in your life and look for your lovelihood!

Tamsin Astor-Jack writes at www.tamsinastor.com
©Tamsin Astor-Jack, Yoga Brained LLC

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