The point here is not necessarily to ignore skills you may have developed but to set them aside for the moment and try to recognize where your heart wants to lead you.

How do you decide what career choice you will make? Centuries ago, one apprenticed at an early age to learn from a master craftsman experienced in a particular field. It took years, often decades before one was considered even moderately skilled. Michelangelo was apprenticed at age 13. But what if he had hated drawing and learned it only because it was his duty, his job?

Each of us is capable of learning a skill given enough time, one which we can repeat as needed. But does the work tempt you, lure you to return in the small hours of the night? Are you drawn to it like a moth to the flame, enticed by what could be? Michelangelo surely was, for to infuse paint with the raw power to inspire and awe mankind for centuries to come did not come because he learned the basic skills of wielding a paintbrush.

The point here is not necessarily to ignore skills you may have developed but to set them aside for the moment and try to recognize where your heart wants to lead you. Don't change jobs simply because you're good at some skill. Skills are what the past has created. They are merely ways to get from point A to point B. I've seen that skills by themselves won't make you happy.

Actually, it's the one thing that can keep a person blocked from what they love because skills protect you from knowing what you would want and love to do. When you find that work which you truly love, you will discover the gifts hidden within you.

My recommendation here is to take some time to examine what your heart desires. If you suddenly lost the ability to perform the skills you currently perform or take pride in, what else would you do? Whether that is sailing, raising dogs, creating a new recipe or painting a picture, listen for the tiny whispered messages that your heart reveals. This is where your soul resides. Anne Frank said, "Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!"

Christopher Reeve went from playing Superman to being one. He has become a driving force for research in spinal cord injuries since his life-changing accident. If you were suddenly transported to a life in which everything you take for granted was gone, what would you do? Where does your heart lead you?

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Copyright 2003, Joel Garfinkle, All Rights Reserved

Joel Garfinkle provides a step-by-step Dream Job process that has guided thousands of clients to find the perfect job and reach career fulfillment. For Career Coaching Services: http://www.dreamjobcoaching.com/coaching.shtml