Talking to a girl last night, who feels like their is no context for her gifts on earth. After locating her central passions, i could see that she was very angry about the world not offering her a space to shine and be herself.

I asked her, what would be your ideal job, and what would you do even if you weren’t paid for it. Can you imagine the space you would most flourish in, outside of the existing structures around you. Can you make a piece of art about your ideal world? Then, try to incarnate that. Often vision comes before action.

We started there, until she decided to make up her own career. “You guys (my generation and the boomers above me) are too caught up in money and success, i just want to live authentically and use my gifts in a valid way, which serves others.” After apologizing on behalf of my own generation for getting too caught up in the rat race (though not all of us have), I told her, I think she’ll find her path prepared beforehand to be her way. As we talked, she started to get a clearer picture of her inner home, and how she might build towards it in the world. Paint me your inner house. Where are you sitting in it? What types of rooms light and colors are in each room.

Can you imagine yourself in a place not caught up by materialism? One, that say, prioritized spiritual or inner growth instead, i asked her. Maybe this real career, begins within.

Sometimes you have to start inside rather than looking for slots already in the world to squeeze into, i said. She liked that. Start with meaning and build outwards. I hope she finds her path, the one she is already on, i think. We ended by talking about her definition of success. Each generation seems to have it’s idea of success. It was a good talk. I learn so much from listening.