That may seem like an incredibly difficult question to answer or even one that you have never contemplated but I have found that it can unlock some answers in terms of career direction and decision making over the years so I thought I’d share it and see if it stimulates the same for you.
The first reaction when I ask the question of coachees is often horror, shock or a reluctance to advance the conversation. It feels like too big a question. However, when we explore it further, they often come up with an answer relatively easily and then so much seems to flow from there. The answers are very often very broad brush but completely resonate when they find the right flavour to their answer. Some that I have come across recently include “I was put on the planet to push against the status quo and develop new ways at looking at the world”, “I was put on the planet to influence decisions in innovative businesses, “I was put on the planet to invest in small start ups that have the potential to make a difference and so the list goes on.
Once you have a sense of what that thing is, it can help make a decision on whether to apply for a new job, to advance a conversation, to study further or to rest assured that you are in the right place at the right time to keep moving in the right direction.