The Search for Your Bliss
by Melanie Votaw
Hypnotherapist, Teacher and Transformational Counselor
Knowing that you're unhappy in your current profession is often a no-brainer. Knowing
what to do instead is another story. You hear Joseph Campbell say, "Follow your bliss!"
But, just how do you do that?
Unfortunately, society teaches us to abandon our passions. We're bombarded with actual or
subliminal messages that our passions are dangerous. That we can only make a good living
in the professions that are tried and true money-makers. In the process of these messages,
many people completely disconnect from joy, bliss, and pleasure. No wonder so many of us
are unhappy!
The truth is no one is here by accident, and no one is inconsequential – whether you were
planned by your parents or not! Every single one of you has a reason for being here on the
planet right now, and every one of you has a unique contribution that no one else can make.
Of course, wouldn’t you love to be handed a pink slip telling you exactly what to be or do
"when you grow up?" But, being "told" rather than going through the process of discovery is
disempowering. It’s all in the journey!
In these days of quick fixes, no one wants to hear that life purpose is a journey. It’s human
nature to want to "get there" and be done with it, but be willing to honor wherever you are
in your process. Realize that no matter how frustrated or discontented you may find yourself
now, one of your tasks will be to befriend that discontentment, for it is the catalyst for
change that keeps you focused on your goal.
When it comes down to it, you have the same life purpose as everyone else – to be the “you-
est” you that you can be. That is the "you" beneath any of the things you have been taught in
your life, the "you" who knows no bounds, limits, or restrictions. The "you" who can
experience joy and passion without fear or apology. So, the idea is to find a vocation that
not only fits this essential you but is tailor-made for you, rather than trying to squeeze
yourself into a job that doesn’t fit quite right.
So, if you know you want to make a change, how do you begin to discover what will fulfill
you? The SIMPLE answer to that question is: LISTEN! Your discontent is there because
some part of you already knows what it is you want to do with your life. It has brought you
to this point where you are reading this article. Congratulate yourself because you have
already begun to listen!
Often, learning to listen to your inner voice is merely a matter of asking the right questions.
Begin to pose questions to yourself, and let the answers flow. Ask yourself each morning:
"If I could do anything at all today, what would I do?" Write down your answer each day,
even if you don't feel you can accomplish what you've written, and allow yourself to be
gloriously inconsistent. Resist the urge to go back over your answers until at least one or
two months have has passed. Then, review what you have written to see what patterns have
emerged.
Most importantly, quiet your environment and your mind so that you can hear the voice of
wisdom inside you. It IS there just waiting for the opportunity to counsel you. Take time to
meditate, walk in nature, sit in silence.
One of the best ways to receive guidance from your inner voice of wisdom is to notice the
synchronicities and coincidences that occur in your life every day. If you begin to pay
attention to these incidents, you are energetically inviting more of them. If you hear about a
book, then see it in a bookstore window, and then have a friend mention they’re reading it...
GET THE BOOK!
In addition to learning how to listen, go on a "passion hunt!" Do something different that can
open you to new ways of listening, hearing, experiencing, and expressing. Try things that
you've never tried before just for fun. Create a collage, paint, dance! Observe children and
their innate ability to have fun. Do you remember that feeling? Close your eyes and
reconnect with your inner child. What can you recall about the playfulness of childhood?
Do you remember the wonder that the world held when you were young? Be patient, but
active as you search for your passions. If you make the effort to "discover your bliss," you
will be well on your way to "following your bliss!"
Melanie Votaw is a Hypnotherapist and Transformational Counselor in private practice in
New York City since 1988. She has taught the "Discovering Your Life Purpose" course for
the Learning Annex in New York and California and produced a meditation CD to
accompany the course. Melanie now teaches an online version of "Discovering Your Life
Purpose" for www.SelfHealingExpressions.com. Additionally, Melanie is the author of
five books and has appeared on Sony Worldwide Radio. For more information about her
work and her Rapturous Living Newsletter, see her website at www.MelanieVotaw.com.
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