I bet there isn’t a single one of us who has not asked the question “is this all there is?” at one point in our lives or another. In my experience, the corporate rat race sometimes felt like I was ‘running on a hamster wheel.’ Within the small confines of the “cage,” the views seldom changed, and we end up spinning our wheels and going in circles trying to make something happen.

It took a major change in my life before I embraced the fact that the narrow confines of the Hamster Wheel was not for me.

Having been raised in Corporate America, and with a sincere, deep appreciation for the HP-Way (www.hewlett-packard.com) culture, where I spent my formative years under the stewardship of exemplary servant leaders such as Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, why wouldn’t I want the ‘security’ of the mother ship? The achievements of climbing the corporate ladder and being associated with large big-brand corporate names, brought with it expense accounts, global travel, status and cache in my position, as well as challenging ‘three-dimensional chess’ games. Sounds like a successful career. It was.

But a few years ago, I realized I didn’t want that anymore.

Newsflash: When it isn’t fun anymore and the day-to-day activities don’t ‘fill you up’ it’s time to exit and find the career that – shall I say it – provides you a sheer love for what you do.

That’s where I was. I had a deep, spiritual desire to truly contribute and make a worthwhile difference. For me, it was jumping onto an much larger ‘Ferris’ Wheel, albeit a bit of a shakey wheel at first, that would allow me to personally build a business that would represent the values and beliefs core to my existence.

I can’t begin to tell you how many folks thought I had truly lost my mind – or worse yet, I was just delusional in my idealistic expectation and desires. Gosh, leaving a Fortune 50 career, which had spanned over 25 years – to become … the CEO of a start-up, one-person company, selling … hold your breath: me.

However, not too surprisingly, there were/are just as many who were secretly supportive, perhaps a bit jealous and/or skeptical of the opportunity; nonetheless, they were/are bullishly ‘on my team’ to help ‘others reach their potential and to truly change the face of how we view their/our professional careers.’ Wow!

So, how in the world was this decision made? And more importantly, does it have any relevance to you as you navigate and ‘align’ your career and life? Only you can answer that, but perhaps my leap from the Hamster to the Ferris Wheel can give you the courage to dig deep into yourself to see if your personal and professional goals are in alignment.

What I can tell you are the three basic “pages” I turned to become more aligned to what I believe brings purpose and meaning to my life.

Trust your Intuition

Years ago, in October of 2002, a friend of mine and I went to Detroit to hear Oprah Winfrey (www.oprah.com), Marianne Williamson (www.marianne.com), and Anne Lamott (among others) speak at a convention. This was certainly not my first ‘personal development’ retreat; I had been attending these since I was in college. However, for some reason, I was highly attuned to what was being shared. Oprah was telling her story, which we are all very familiar with now, and she was emphasizing ‘listening to the whispers’ in our lives. Then, heeding the message. The whispers represented the choices that were within my reach. I had certainly heard them over the years. I just opted to ignore them. I didn’t trust them. I allowed the intoxication of corporate life and all its trappings to shut out the messages. What I can say now is – listening to your inner voice and trusting it, will open your eyes to choices you may not realize you have. Whatever they may be. Choices can and will almost always lead to change. And change is definitely scary, especially when the one making the choice is you (so there’s no one to blame when things get tough).

Courage – Dive In!

Lest I sound like a “PollyAnna motivational blog writer” (I’m certainly a novice blog writer), this step took me more than a year. Fear is the common paralyzer. Jumping ‘off the board’ conjured up many thoughts: What if I fail? Will I ever be able to go back? Will I be taken seriously? Can I afford it? What about my retirement? The list goes on and on – fed by fear and ego.

Trust me – I analyzed, weighed, and worried over each and every scenario. There were and are no perfect answers. No panacea. No magic pills.

Jumping is a shear act of courage anchored in Faith. Period.

I just decided if I wanted something badly enough – it was certainly worth going after. Oh, and by the way, I won’t fail – unless I allow myself to fail. Secondly, I can’t imagine going ‘back’ onto the hamster wheel. Finally, it is a complete and utter misnomer for those of us from Corporate America to believe ‘doing what we love and making money’ are mutually exclusive. Bull!

Be – What you are

So, I jumped. Now what? Wise counsel from my own personal coach, Ann Deaton (http://davinciresources.com), encouraged me to “get into my own skin” and to “be – as if.” There’s a saying in the (business) world, “fake it ‘til you make it,” which candidly lacked the true authenticity I needed and wanted. So “being rather than seeming” was more in alignment with my goals.

Today, I tackle my new responsibilities and associated challenges with zealous energy. Certainly, the new experiences are not without nagging concerns as with all new ventures. However, what I can tell you is that, when we allow the opportunity for something new, fresh, different or fulfilling in our professional life ‘there is a peace that passes all understanding.’ Why? Because you ‘get’ that you are doing what you are meant to be doing. You are aligned with your true purpose.

Is it easy? No. Yet, I will say unabashedly that the ride on the Ferris Wheel, even with its turns and scary heights, offers the most fabulous, exciting views. The always present vision of life’s horizon is broad, full, and inviting! Enjoying what you do; while enthusiastically and passionately embracing both the ‘ups and the downs’ creates positive energy. It is as simple as that.

Now I ask those I coach – who would like to get off the Hampster Wheel and try a ride on the Ferris Wheel?