Fine-tuning your Livelihood

Examining your Motivation

This class uses Circles from the workbooks  “Soul Prayer Charts” and “Gifts from the Rainforest” to clear your mind and thinking.

Remember that in the last class we talked about how different livelihoods can work for some people and not for others. We also discussed that every livelihood has it’s own purpose in the community and it’s own  method of expression. When it is similar enough to a person’s own purpose and method of expression, an “open gate” is created that allows the person to resonate and prosper with that particular livelihood. This would be because they are enjoying their work and they are meeting a genuine need in their community at the same time.  In this class, we will further explore the idea of congruency by clarifying what is motivating you to pursue the particular livelihood you’ve chosen.
 

Often times people choose careers without taking the time to consider whether it would genuinely be beneficial in the long run.

We might choose a certain path for several reasons:
      1.  To prove that someone else was wrong about us.
      2.  To prove that someone else was right about us.
      3.  To prove that we are good enough.

Although these reasons are powerful and often times very motivating, they may not be motivating us in a way that genuinely nurtures the best in us. 

Another possiblity for some is career by default. We may have followed a certain career path to please someone else or because we didn’t know what to do. Perhaps financial or social factors dictated and limited our decisions. In these cases, sometimes we luck out and find real satisfaction in our work. Sometimes we don’t.

So, how do you know whether the livelihood you’ve chosen is really satisfying to your heart and soul and not just something you’re doing to satisfy someone else? To find out what’s really motivating you, check out the following steps.

Step One: Take a moment and think about your current livelihood. Can you identify the predominent emotion that you feel in regards to it?
If you have more than one or are considering other livelihoods, what are the emotions that you feel about them?

 

Step Two: Think back to when you were very young - say seven years old. What did you want to be? What do you think stopped you from pursuing that career?

Keep looking at this same graph while you move to your teenage years. What interested you then? Did you pursue that or did something stop you?
What about your current livelihood. What was the initial motivation for you? Are there other things motivating you now?
Do you feel congruent, or in harmonious agreement with your motivations?

Step Three: What do you believe that society thinks about the livelihood(s) that you have genuinely wanted to pursue?

 

Step Four: Are you ready, willing and able to disengage from negative expectations that limit your potential and ability to choose for yourself?

Step Five: Clear up what motivates you.
Take a few minutes to get clear out those negative emotions, motivations and disappointments that don’t really nurture you, and become harmonious with your decisions about Right Livelihood. To do that, look at this sequence of Circles out of Gifts From the Rainforest and Soul Prayer Charts.

Note - G indicates “Gifts From the Rainforest” and S indicates “Soul Prayer Charts.”

Remember that when you are viewing the Circles
Look at each Circle one at a time with a soft gaze for approximately one minute. A shorter or longer time may be necessary. The Circle is providing structural support for the contents of the intention, affirmation or question that accompanies it. Just breathe deeply and relax. Allow yourself to be open and receiving. You may notice subtle energies, memories or emotions running through you or the Circles may begin to move, pulsate or even change colors. This is all part of the experience. Just keep breathing; relax into your body and stay objective - just as you would in a state of meditation. You are encouraged to journal on insights or new ideas that may come to you during the exercise.

G #28 Monkey
Set a goal for this e-class to bring harmony into your Right Livelihood.
“I bring harmony and grace into my Right Livelihood.”

G #33 Llama
Decide to accept that the truth will set you free. Look at this graph from different angles so that all parts of your brain get the message:
“The Truth will set me free.”

G #39 Yarrow
Focus on what you are feeling right now. Where do you feel it in your body?  Relax all your muscles and breathe deeply. Ask for your Soul to help you accept the feelings and release them completely.

S #16 Rhythm
Continue to let your Soul bring you back into balance and equilibrium through the process of breathing deeply into your belly.

Imagine that you can bring every part of you that got lost, hurt, abused or neglected back into wholeness. Keep doing that until you can see yourself exactly as you are right now.

 

G #10
Let go of people, places and things that keep you attached to the past.

S #10
Reclaim your integrity by letting go of agendas and expectations that are not your own.

S #8
Remember what your heart’s true desire is. What did you come here to experience in this lifetime? Write it down.

S # 14
Be clear about what kind of livelihood would be genuinely beneficial to you in the long run.
“I am congruent with my livelihood.”

S 2
Release what other people want you to do by repeating this affirmation:
“I am free to choose my livelihood.”

S 21
Shake off the past and return to balance within yourself.

S #18
Align with the source and core of your Being.

Step Six: Bring the harmony of inner purpose into unity with the desires of your community.

Congratulations! If you are not at choice in your livelihood, you rob yourself of true satisfaction and happiness. When your livelihood is in harmony with your heart and soul, its positive effects will cascade into other realms of your physical, emotional and mental health.

Rheanni Lightwater © 2007