There’s nothing I hate more than feeling that I’m being shoved down into a tidy box… and no ‘box’ felt more stifling to me personally than the traditional, capitalism-defined career box. We live in a capitalist society that, after all this time, still perpetuates the myth that success is found only by pursuing a linear path. As a soul’s purpose coach, I’ve made it my mission to support creative souls like you to take a more personal, intuitive approach to career alignment.
The Problem = Most Careers are Built Backwards
The majority of us set out on a career path before our brains have even reached full maturity! Did you know that full neurological maturity isn’t reached until age 25, while we graduate high school around age 17 or 18? We’re expected to know how we want to spend our lives and what will bring us a sense of fulfillment BEFORE our brains have fully developed. We miss out on chances to get to know WHO WE REALLY ARE because we’re pressured to ‘figure it out’ and ‘get it right’ the first time.
That means that most of us choose our career path or education typically based on our upbringing, conditioning, expectations and shoulds rather than from a space of deep self-awareness of our actual energetic gifts and capacity. Following ‘shoulds’ leads to burnout, boredom and misalignment while most creative souls crave purpose, meaning and flexibility.
Crashing Out Of the Corporate Career I Thought I Wanted
I grew up a high achiever who found my sense of identity in praise, doing well, and accomplishment. Chasing good grades, awards and accolades to fill the sense of enoughness I didn’t feel inside. I ‘did it all right.’ I graduated from high school with honours, attended one of the most prestigious universities in the country, graduated with distinction, and began climbing the career ladder I thought I wanted to climb.
Fast forward to me, around age 25, and I’m having daily panic attacks at my desk, Ubering home multiple days a week because I’m too exhausted to face public transit, ordering in takeout with no energy or drive to cook. I felt so purposeless and adrift from the impact I always desired to make.
Then, One Day, I Woke Up
It came to a point where I was sitting on the subway ride home one day, feeling so burnt out, closer to 45 than the youthful 25 I was. I looked around me and saw everyone staring at their phones, dissociating from their commute. And I woke up. I realized I have one precious life, and if I didn’t jump off this one-way train now, I may never get the chance again.
Crashing out of my soulless corporate marketing job meant healing from clinical burnout, but it was the best decision I ever made for myself because it let me build a more aligned path with intention. When I found out shortly after that I was a Projector in human design, this made ever more sense to me.
If you resonate with my story and wish to build a career that actually feels fulfilling and FITS you personally, keep reading!
*Note: while my corporate marketing career wasn’t for me, having a structured career like this MAY be what you enjoy! each to their own; nothing is better or worse – it’s just what feels GOOD TO YOU personally.
Step #1: Redefine ‘Success’
‘Success’ has to be the broadest term ever, and it’s rarely actually benchmarked against what is purposeful and meaningful to us. That’s why we need to define success for ourselves. Consider… what does success feel like to you? Not what it looks like… but what it feels like.
Your definition of success should be built upon:
- Your core life VALUES
- Your unique ENERGY FLOW
- What brings you JOY
When I speak of ‘energy flow,’ your human design is an excellent tool for helping illuminate what will make you feel uniquely fulfilled and purpose-driven. Explore how human design can help you define your purpose in this post.
Step #2: Work With Your Natural Energy (Not Against It)
Here’s the thing: we’re not all the same energetically—we each have our own gifts and capacities. So why on earth is there one ideal mould of what a career should look like? Traditional ‘productivity’ models, such as the 9-5 workday, don’t work for everyone.
Rooting yourself in your human design type is what allows you to work with yourself energetically rather than against yourself.
New to Human Design + not sure what YOUR type is? Start here to find out!
As a Projector in human design, it took multiple burnouts for me to finally wake up to my actual capacity. Suppose you’re a Projector, Manifestor or Reflector in human design. In that case, you’re what we call a ‘nonsacral being’ (as opposed to Generators and Manifesting Generators who are ruled by their defined sacra).
Our sacral centre is like a battery for your life force. When you are a non-sacral being, you wake up each day with a different level of energy, and you’re actually not meant to try to ‘keep up’ with the Generators or MGs in your life.
Your signature theme is a really great tool for determining whether you’re truly living in alignment with your human design type.
Each Type’s Signature Theme:
- Manifestor = Peace
- Generator or MG = Satisfaction
- Projector = Success
- Reflector = Surprise
When you feel this signature feeling, you can know and trust that you are honouring your actual energy capacity and the strategy that you’re meant to follow based on your human design type.
Step #3: Follow Alignment, Rather than Algorithms
In the society we live in, with infinite social media pages to compare ourselves to, it’s easy to chase and prioritize trends or anything that makes you feel like you’re getting attention.
But what if, instead, we focus on prioritizing what makes us feel alive and aligned rather than what makes us ‘popular’ with the algorithm?
An excellent way for you to get to know yourself and your actual energetic capacity is to track how your energy is each day for a few weeks. Consider:
- (If you have one) How does your menstrual cycle impact how you energetically show up?
- What days do you tend to feel more energized? And which do you tend to feel more drained?
- Which activities or tasks make you feel most energized and ‘lit up?’ Which tasks have the opposite, draining effect?
When you have this data, you can start to meet yourself where you are, honouring your actual energy, its dips and lows, and more.
Step 4: Allow Your Career to Evolve
For the Millennial and Gen Z generations, switching industries and careers is actually incredibly common (compared to Gen X and Baby Boomers.) The days of graduating from university or college and then working at one company for your entire career are relatively behind us. Of course, there are some cases where this does still occur, but it’s not like it was 20 or 30 years ago.
Growth and pivots are a very normal and healthy part of building a fulfilling career. What brings us a sense of fulfillment and purpose may also change throughout our lives. Experimentation is part of what brings us closer to where we want to be.
It’s a privilege to live in a time, place and society where we can question what brings us a sense of purpose. Enjoy this and allow yourself to play and experiment with what sets your soul on fire. You don’t have to up and quit your job to also consider what will bring you more purpose. Remember, it’s never an all-or-nothing!
Break the Mould, Baby!
Building a satisfying, purpose-driven career isn’t about trying to fit into the mould… it’s about breaking the mould. It’s about deeply connecting to yourself, celebrating the unique magic that you bring to the table. Exploring your human design is a fantastic step if you’re feeling at a career crossroads: it will allow you to really understand what your role is, what your gifts are and how you’re meant to move through the world. Start with this free guide.
Other Articles You’ll Enjoy
What To Do Next When You Feel Lost (Career Clarity)
Why Traditional Career Advice Fails Creative People — and What Actually Works
Working Smarter, Not Harder, with Human Design
