Start backwards when you are trying to discover your purpose or passion. Sometimes it is easier to uncover what you don't want than it is to reveal what you do want. Many of us don't know exactly what we want but we sure know what we don't want. We all allow ourselves to tolerate things that we would rather not have in our work or environment. Things change slowly and often we don't even realize that we are tolerating people, place, things or activities that we would prefer not to have in our lives.

Know What You Don't Want

Most people can tell you what they want but find it hard to say or know what they don't want. In my case I took a job that required me to commute in traffic twice a day for almost an hour. I had managed to make it through my entire career without having to commute long distances. I had no experience with commuting so I had no way to know how much I did not like it.

When you are thinking about what you don't want be sure to look at all aspects of your work. Areas to consider would be commute, working from an office or from home, dressing up or casual, clients on the phone only or on the phone and face to face, coaching areas that you want to avoid, types of clients that you want to avoid, the number of hours you want to work per week and anything else that you know you don't like.

I don't like doing weight loss coaching. I am a certified weight management consultant so I am qualified to coach in that area but I don't like it because people don't do what they need to do and they tend to lie to themselves and me. I avoid weight loss coaching. You may have a coaching area that you would like to avoid too so make sure you write down what you don't want. Working in ways that you don't like or enjoy will harm your ability to coach and it will not benefit your clients as much as when you are working in areas that fulfill you.

Once you know what you don't want you are much closer to know what you do want. You can begin to reveal what you prefer by looking at each thing you don't want and writing down what you would prefer. For example, I don't like weight loss coaching but I am excited to work with motivated clients who want fitness coaching. I like to work with people who had determined that they want to make changes in exercise, diet, and stress in an effort to improve their physical and mental health.

Once you have gone through you dislikes and what you would rather have you will have a much clearer picture of the type of work, environment, and people that will fulfill you.