Ever want something so badly you obsess over it? Not, a sparkly new dress, or super lightweight runners. I mean, something less tangible. Something deeper. Like, if I could just figure out, “X,” everything would fall into place.  For some of us, “X” is money. Others crave love.

My quest has been career related. It started sometime around job layoff #1, and became infinitely more clear by job layoff #4. I decided to create a passion, purpose driven career.

Rather than continuing to chase career goals driven by extrinsic reward (title, money, power), I committed to bringing intrinsic drivers whispering in my heart to the forefront of my life in a big way. I created a new career-life-goal to tap into my natural gifts, and to be of service to others.

Sounds great, right?

Well, nearly four years later, after engrossing myself in learning, and self-assessments, and reading, and… and… and…. I’m still in a j-o-b, and IT hasn’t happened FAST enough. And you know what, I began obsessing, without even realizing it.

I had been putting so much pressure on myself that my well-intentioned inspiration had become a problem. A problem, I needed to fix. Like a dark cloud, permeating across my life, the more I worked on IT, the more I became stuck, weighed down, and the less I was truly able to be present with just how magical life already is, as-is. Yuck!

Am I giving up this quest? No, absolutely not. Instead, I now realize, I was trying to force something that will come in its due time. (I was obsessing.)

My job in the meantime, is to remember a few things:

• Everyday is a new opportunity to breathe life into our desires.
• Big dreams are great, but minimizing our small wins along the way is tragic.
• Trust that the magical combination of openness, preparedness, and timing will come together in its due time.

Next time you feel yourself putting on the pressure of, “I just need to figure S**T out.” Stop, breath, and remember to be kind to yourself. Life’s a lot more fun when you’re patient, and can enjoy the ride.

Not sure you can take my word for it?

Try on this perspective, one of my favorite quotes from THE CHARGE by Brendon Burchard:
 “What if simply living your truth, being your best, and fully expressing your strengths, talents and abilities at whatever you do were enough to contribute to our world? ? I say it is, and we must not overlook the fact that being our best ultimately inspires others and can and does indeed make an impact.”