Stop Searching for a Career and Start Finding Your Life’s Work

The other day, I was coming back to my apartment from a walk when I stepped into the elevator and met a wonderful woman who was ready to chat, and happened to be my neighbour! I'm always intrigued by people who genuinely want to connect with strangers, and I'm trying to be more like that myself. We hit it off instantly. Within five minutes, she told me that she was leaving the following week to travel the world alone for six months—to get to know herself better, where she wants to live, and what she wants to do. If you read my first post, you’ll know that this kind of thing really gets me going because I did my own version of this trip last summer.

A few days later, we had our first friend date over coffee, and since then, we’ve already had each other over to our apartments. I find her fascinating, and I love being in her company. She’s courageous, insightful, loves writing and poetry and literature and she speaks my language. Now, getting to the point of this post—our conversations naturally dive into deep, meaningful topics about self-actualization, philosophy, and personal growth. One day, she mentioned something about wanting to find her life’s work.

That phrase struck a deep chord in me. It gave me an aha! moment. Because this is it—this is what it’s all about for me: finding our own life’s work. Not just a career—our life’s work. And as you read on, you’ll find that those two things can become one and the same. If you're truly following your path, your career will naturally be part of your life’s work.

What it means to find your life’s work

It means discovering that thing that brings the perfect blend of passion, excitement, challenge, ease, wonder, and curiosity. Your life’s work is not stressful. It’s not a struggle. There’s little to no resistance when you engage with it. It flows.

People often laugh at the phrase, love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life, like it’s some unrealistic dream, something people just say in passing. But bear with me—I think there’s so much more to it. So much truth to it. And here’s why.

The book Ikigai by Francesco Miralles and Hector Garcia explores the Japanese concept of ikigai—a term that, in my view, perfectly encapsulates the idea of life’s work. It’s the idea that our work should be a perfect blend of four elements: 

•            What you love (passion),

•            What you're good at (vocation),

•            What the world needs (mission), and

•            What you can be paid for (profession).

And here’s something crazy: The Japanese don’t even have a word for retire in the way we do in North America. They live by the philosophy that we should continue pursuing our ikigai even in our later years. I don’t know about you, but I want to have ikigai until the day I die (Accidentally named my first single, lol.).

How do we find our Ikigai? Our passion? Our life’s work?

I’ll start with a little story about how I found mine.

I’ve mentioned before that I was an NCAA athlete and competed for my country on the world stage. For most of my life, this was my why. When you’re part of a team, a program, or an organization, your why is basically handed to you. In sports, my reason for being, doing, moving forward was always about winning that championship. In school, it was about getting A’s and being recognized for academic success.

We even had our team goals—both athletic and academic—written down and always visible:

• Win Conference Championships

• Get on the podium at Nationals

• Maintain a minimum 3.5 cumulative team GPA

There was no thinking involved, no searching. These goals were just there, already set up for us.

Now, ask yourself: What are the goals that have been handed to you? Maybe your parents set the goal for you to go to law school. Maybe your team at work sets your monthly sales target. Whatever it is, take a step back and really look at it. Is it your goal? Is it your true north? Or is it something that has just been placed in front of you?

What do you actually want from achieving these goals? What feeling are you chasing?

And most importantly—is it truly your life’s work?

I was forced to ask myself these questions a few years after graduating with my master’s degree and working a full-time job. My job was comfortable, well-paid, and structured. We had our quarterly and yearly tasks and objectives. But unlike winning a championship, achieving those goals didn’t bring me joy. It started to sink in that I had no idea what I actually wanted to do for the rest of my life.

And that’s when my real search for my life’s work began.

How You Can Find It:

• Know What You Don't Want: For me, this was a huge realization. Sometimes, figuring out what doesn’t work for you is just as important as finding what does. I spent years in a 9-5 corporate job, and while I was good at it, I felt drained. It looked great on paper but didn’t excite me. Maybe you’ve had a job where the environment felt toxic or a role that left you uninspired. When you notice something isn’t aligning, let it go. You don’t need to justify it. The sooner you release what isn’t meant for you, the sooner you make space for what is.
• Pay Attention to What Comes Easy: Everyone has natural talents—skills that feel effortless while others struggle with them. Maybe you have a unique ability to break down complex problems, a natural charisma when speaking, or an eye for design that makes things visually appealing. These abilities aren’t just random; they are insights into what could be part of your life’s work. When something comes easily to you and you genuinely enjoy doing it, that’s worth exploring further.
• Meditation & Quiet Reflection: Giving my brain space to actually think without distractions changed everything. I wrote about this in detail here. If sitting in meditation sounds intimidating, try taking a walk—no music, no podcasts, no distractions. Neuroscientist TJ Powers calls this the My Pursuit walk—a solo walk where you just let your mind wander on your life's purpose. He swears that just 20 minutes a day will boost dopamine and give you clarity on what you truly want. When I started doing this, I had so many realizations that it felt like my life was unfolding in front of me in real time.
• Follow Your Intuition: Your gut is always talking to you. The problem is, most of us ignore it. For me, intuition has been the biggest guide in finding my life’s work. The more you listen, the stronger it gets. I’ve taken some wild leaps that probably looked completely reckless from the outside, but deep down, I knew they were right. If something feels right, even if it doesn’t make logical sense, trust it. Your intuition will always guide you toward your life’s work if you let it.
• Let Go of External Expectations: Income, status, credibility, cool-factor—let it go. This one has been tough for me because I was wired to think that success meant having a prestigious job title. Of course, we all need to be responsible, kind, and functioning members of society. But if you’re constantly making decisions based on what will make you look impressive rather than what actually makes you happy, you’re off track. This is your life. You only get one. Make sure you’re living it for you.

Ultimately, finding your life’s work is about removing the noise, listening to yourself, and taking bold action. The more you trust yourself, the clearer your path becomes. The best part? It doesn’t have to happen overnight. Just keep moving in the direction that feels right, and you’ll get there.

I made a few crazy life decisions, started journaling and meditating on them, and allowed myself to dream without limits. That’s how I went from a highly technical career in insurance and finance to now being on my way to becoming a therapist—hopefully helping people find their own life’s work while on the same journey.

At the end of the day, finding your life’s work isn’t about having it all figured out overnight. It’s about following the clues—what excites you, what flows naturally, and what feels right in your gut. It’s about being willing to let go of what doesn’t serve you and trusting that every step, even the ones that don’t make sense at the time, are leading you somewhere meaningful. If you keep showing up for yourself, listening, and taking action, your life’s work will unfold in front of you. And trust me, when you find it, you’ll know.

If you're reading this– I love you :)

-Tia