Have you ever had the sense that you’ve wandered off your true path or that you’re living someone else’s life, and wondered how to find your way back?

We may look up after years of following the well-meaning advice of others and realize we’re lost. We’ve lost track of what brings us joy and of our unique, creative spark. We may feel bored, exhausted, stuck, or burned out.

So how do we begin to find our way?

Start With Childhood Clues

A helpful place to start is with your younger self. Not necessarily by taking childhood dreams literally, but by decoding them.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Who inspired you?

What did you love to do, make, create, or play?

The essence of those early desires often holds clues to your true nature, your gifts, and the unique shape of your soul.

Maybe you loved putting on plays. This may mean you were meant to act professionally or maybe you loved storytelling or connecting with an audience.

Maybe you dreamed of being a veterinarian because you felt deeply connected to animals and wanted to care for them. Your aligned career may involve nurturing and caring for animals.

Maybe you loved taking things apart and putting them back together or figuring out how things worked. Your aligned career may involve engineering or innovation.

These are breadcrumbs we can follow.

Your Inner Compass Knows the Way

Each of us has an inner compass. It reflects our unique strengths, values, needs, inner guidance, and the kind of work that feels meaningful to us. When we ignore that compass—when we shape-shift ourselves to fit a role that’s fundamentally not aligned—it takes a toll. On our energy, our wellbeing, our sense of purpose.

You might be able to do the job on paper, but it requires constant effort and yields little satisfaction.

One of the biggest ah-ha moments for my coaching clients is when they realize that just because they can do a certain job doesn’t mean that’s the best fit for them. Humans are incredibly resourceful and can do and endure many things. But when we push ourselves to do work that does not align with our true nature, it’s like forcing a round peg into a square hole.

In contrast, when the shape of your soul matches the shape of your work, there is flow. Joy. Engagement. You feel more alive, more like yourself.

Follow the Heat

So, how do you know you’re getting closer to an aligned career?

Remember the game “hot and cold” we played as kids? Your emotions, your energy, your body—they’re giving you constant feedback.

• When you’re getting warmer, you feel energized, focused, inspired.
• When you’re getting colder, you feel drained, anxious, disengaged.

Our bodies and emotions can show us the way if we’re willing to listen.

From Overwhelm to Alignment: One Degree at a Time

Career alignment rarely happens in one fell swoop. Instead, you make what Martha Beck calls “one-degree turns” like a plane that is course correcting. You say yes to your curiosity. You reduce what drains you.

As you uncover the unique shape of your soul, you will know which opportunities are a fit.

As you follow that spark, the path begins to unfold.

Ready to Begin Your Own Alignment Journey?

I created The Career Alignment Map to guide lawyers through the process of reconnecting with their true selves and crafting careers that fit who they really are.

If you’re feeling called to explore what’s next for you, whether it’s redefining your current role or discovering new possibilities, download The Career Alignment Map.

And if you’re sensing you were meant to do something else, that the work that takes up most of your waking hours isn’t aligned with your true nature, trust that inner knowing.

In your corner,

Jessie