Career Inklings from Columbia

Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be

Janet M. Ruck

Does a green tomato know that one day it will become red and juicy, bursting with flavor and goodness? Can an azure blue robin’s egg know that in its time it will burst forth with the vibrancy of new life? Do we know what we are capable of becoming, if we but follow our instincts, use our talents and listen to our intuition?

All too often, it seems that we ignore the signs along the way on the road to reaching our potential. We take detours, undermine our instincts, and allow other voices to tell us the right path to take. We succumb to pressure from others, to conform, to obey, to do what they tell us is “right”.

In my work as a career counselor, I hear many adults lament the fact that they ignored their own calling, and pursued directions dictated by others. Certainly, many of these others were well-meaning and thought they were dispensing good advice. Parents thought they could spare their artist-striving children the agony of struggling and starving. Teachers were sure they were helping their students avert disappointment when they steered them away from their aspirations of a life of art or of writing or of music. These well-meaning adults, in their zeal to protect these children from distress, crushed their dreams, their passions and took away their meaning.

Sometimes, the lucky ones, the survivors, may discover later in life that they still have a painting or a novel or a symphony tucked away in the recesses of their souls. If they have the energy, they are able to break free from the ties that the adults in their lives bound their souls with so many years ago. The unlucky ones never look into their souls again, having been led away from the search for self so many years ago. Their painting or novel or symphony will never grace their lives or the lives of others.

If you still hear the murmur of the voice within, beckoning you to seek that self that has been tucked away, heed its call and let your voice be heard throughout the world. Your instincts and your talents are waiting to be unleashed, and the world needs what you have to offer.

Janet Ruck is as an escapee from the world of full-time work. As a career consultant and writer, she is consumed with helping people identify their passions, uniqueness, interests and talents to keep them from slipping into the faceless abyss of the workplace. Janet encourages herself and her clients through the use of journaling and creative self-expression as means of gaining perspective and insight into their authentic selves. She helps clients create and sustain satisfying careers by recognizing their own personal magic. Contact her at janetruck@yahoo.com.