Exploring the intersection of purpose and career.

I’m often asked: “Does my job need to be my calling?” “Can’t I just work to pay the bills, and find fulfillment in other ways?”

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer—but here are a few questions worth asking:

Does your paid job consume so much of your time, energy, and focus that you have nothing left for what gives you meaning?

If your work doesn’t align with what gives you a sense of meaning and purpose, consider whether it depletes your capacity to show up in other meaningful ways—whether that’s through creative projects, community work, volunteering, or activism.

Especially for lawyers with demanding jobs and young kids, I know firsthand how hard it can be to make it to the dentist, let alone pursue something outside of work that lights you up.

Can you express your gifts within your current job?

This depends on your gifts and your role. Some lawyers feel deeply aligned with their work—it gives them a sense of meaning and purpose and allows them to use their gifts. Others? Not so much.

Ask yourself: Does my job allow me to contribute to life in a way that feels meaningful to me?

If not: Does it at least allow me the time and energy to do so outside of work?

“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” – Viktor E. Frankl

This is often a season… but not meant to be forever.

There are seasons when financial stability and caregiving take the front seat. But once we’ve reached a measure of financial stability and our kids are more independent, we begin to long for something deeper. For a way to serve or contribute that is true to who we are.

A quiet longing might begin to stir—

To discover your gifts. To use them in service of something that matters. To feel lit up by the work you do.

“The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it.” – Carl Jung

The transition into more meaningful work often takes time.

When I turned 40, I hired my first coach to help me explore the origins of my career discontent. I had changed practice areas several times and finally had a measure of work-life balance, but still longed for more meaningful work.

At 42, I moved to a part-time schedule to have the space to attend a year-long coach training program. I reduced my spending habits to make the income reduction feasible for me and my family.

As time went on, I continued to say yes to my curiosity, exploring the types of service and contribution I could make that aligned with my gifts and brought me joy. In addition to coach training, this led me to pursue trainings and certifications as an end-of-life doula, meditation teacher, sound healer, forest bathing guide, Internal Family Systems coach, breathwork facilitator, and purpose guide.

The process of aligning my work with what gives me a sense of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment took five years and continues to unfold.

Many lawyers I coach take a “portfolio” approach—a blend of income streams—some deeply aligned with their gifts, others that provide a steady income and still allow them the time and energy to pursue their passions, which may include unpaid creative pursuits or volunteer work.

They experiment, try new things, reflect, learn, and try again. That’s what career alignment often looks like.

It also depends on your individual capacity.

Highly Sensitive People (HSP), whose brains and nervous systems take in more information from the environment and process it at a deeper level, often need more downtime to replenish their energy than the 70-75% of the population who are not HSP.

Women in mid-life often have increased health needs, particularly as they navigate perimenopause and menopause. The increased medical appointments and decreased quality of sleep can impact a woman’s capacity to engage in meaningful pursuits outside of work and family.

For these individuals, it may be more important to align their work with what gives them a sense of purpose than for others who have more time and energy for meaningful pursuits outside of work.

We’re all called to contribute in a way that brings us joy.

Whether through paid work or outside of it, we are all invited into the shared human calling of Tikkun Olam—the Jewish concept of “repairing the world.” There are countless ways to contribute and serve.

Some lawyers do this through legal work. Others do this outside of work.

Some find their work doesn’t allow them to contribute in a way they find meaningful and they choose to pivot. As my story shows, this often takes time.

I know many lawyers who have gone back to school to become therapists, coaches, mediators, teachers, organizational consultants, or pursued other training, after decades of practicing law. It’s never too late.

Finding your calling starts with discovering your gifts.

There are clues throughout your life as to what your gifts are.

As poet William Stafford wrote:

“There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see. While you hold it you can’t get lost.”

One of my threads is having deep, interpersonal conversations. In every job, I was the person people confided in when they were unhappy and looking to make a job change. Throughout my life, people have confided their deepest secrets, their traumas, their true sexual orientation, their longings.

But 95% of my work as a lawyer didn’t involve deep interpersonal conversation. Occasionally, I was able to connect deeply with a client, but the billable hour model made it hard to spend significant time in deep conversation. It’s tough to be fully present to another human when every 0.6 is adding to their bill.

However, there are many lawyers who are able to use their gifts in their work.

If your current role doesn’t allow you to use your gifts, you might consider:

What else is possible?

Maybe it’s transitioning to a less demanding role that will free up time and energy for meaningful pursuits outside of work.

Maybe it’s gradually aligning your career with your gifts and purpose.

Maybe it’s something else entirely.

If this piques your curiosity, I invite you to download my free Career Alignment Map for lawyers.

In your corner,

Jessie