In a world where the priority is often to make enough money to own a home, have a car, build a happy family, gain status and achieve financial security, people do not always end up in jobs that make them happy.

Many do not even know what that feels like. Others have never considered that it might actually be possible to be happy at work.

The result is a huge number of people who are dissatisfied, exhausted, unwell, and counting down the days until the weekend or their next holiday, sometimes with anxiety and even desperation.

Of course, there are times when people simply do not have a choice. Work becomes a matter of survival or responsibility: putting food on the table, paying the rent, or taking care of those who depend on them. These are circumstances I would describe as karmic: specific and individual challenges that we may carry as part of our life lessons.

But when we do have a choice, many people tend to prioritize a “good job” and a good salary doing what they genuinely love, or what they are naturally gifted at.

Sometimes, those gifts are so innate that we barely notice them ourselves. Other times, they remain undiscovered simply because we have never had the opportunity, time or space to explore them.

This is why it is so important to know who you are. To take time to be with yourself. To discover yourself, observe yourself, and ultimately find yourself.

Along that journey, we can begin by experimenting with things that bring us pleasure. It could be a hobby, a new experience, or simply looking back at our own history and noticing what we have done with ease, what we genuinely enjoyed, what made an impact on someone else, or what filled us with a sense of pride.

And perhaps most importantly, our heart knows what makes us happy.

Our soul vibrates when it is finally given the opportunity to express what it knows it came here to do.

That feeling is unmistakable. And it is almost impossible to ignore.

When it happens, stop everything for a moment. You may be receiving one of the most important messages of your life.

Now, there are a few important things to consider, because some aspects of modern life can make this process much harder.

First, many people do not truly know themselves, nor do they give themselves enough time to discover what they are naturally good at and what they genuinely love doing.

Second, many of these talents are not recognized as official professions today.

It might be something as simple as having a gift for making people happy.

Have you ever seen “making people happy” listed as a profession, with a salary and an employment contract?

I haven’t.

If you have, please tell me about it or share it with me!

So, how do we get there?

How do we recognize our talents?

Here are a few things that may help you along the way:

✨ People compliment you on something you had never even realized you were exceptionally good at.

✨ Life presents you with opportunities that seem to fall into your lap, inviting you to try something new that you instinctively feel you will enjoy.

✨ Your heart fills with joy, like a child’s on Christmas Eve.

✨ There is no hesitation. You simply want to dive in headfirst. Or, sometimes, the opposite happens: you feel afraid because you are stepping into the unknown.

✨ You would happily do it even if nobody paid you.

What do all these things have in common?

Pleasure. Enjoyment. Excitement. Recognition.

When I allow myself to be guided by these signs, I begin to create a path towards discovering, and eventually activating, my natural talents.

There is another important shift that happens along the way: I learn to associate contentment and pleasure with work, and to recognize them as essential ingredients rather than luxuries.

And what happens when we experience these moments again and again?

We become happier.

And when the soul finds itself doing something it has always known it was meant to do, something extraordinary happens.

We begin to feel proud of ourselves. We admire ourselves. And that naturally leads to a deeper sense of self-worth and self-esteem.

The cherry on top of the whole experience of happiness.

Because something happens that so many people spend their entire lives tirelessly searching for:

fulfilment.