Do You Really Have to Choose Between Meaning & Money?

Want to better understand how to come alive in work and life?

Every week on the SPARKED podcast , we answer a question posed by a listener as they consider critical moments in work and life, from big transitions to dealing with burnout, to yearning for passion, purpose, and beyond. And, of course, we weave in how each person’s unique Sparketype? (imprint for work that makes you come alive) plays into these choices.?

In this week's episode, Corporate Alley Cat founder, Deborah Owens , joins me to consider some big questions when it comes to meaning and money. Especially when you wonder if you could, in fact, have both??

Often in your life or career, there comes a time when you start to question everything you’re doing. You begin to think more deeply about what it means to stay in a well-paying job, build up your savings, and continue along a path that champions security over meaning and expression (no judgments, money matters).?

You also might start to think it’s time for a change and consider walking away to do something new with the hope this new trajectory will light you up, give you more energy, and as this week’s SPARKED highlighted podcast listener, Liana, says:

start to live your best life sooner.?

So the conundrum becomes: do you wait to build “enough” financial security (which can sometimes be a perpetually moving target that is never, in fact, attained), or move forward with your plan to center purpose and possibility sooner than later???

For most of us, money will always be a? part of our decision-making process. It matters, the question is, are the assumptions you’re making about money and how it relates to time and meaning true? Or, is there a way to pursue both at the same time??

3 Questions To Explore:

1. Is going all in on something that truly Sparks me really more financially risky than not??
2. What is the broader (life) cost - beyond money, but in the context of time, energy, relationships, and more, of stifling or putting off Sparked work?
3. What would it take to “test the waters” and build my Sparked work on the side - or at least test my assumptions about how it might make me feel - so it proves it’s potential without having to walk away from the comfort and financial engine I’ve been building for years.

Looking at your trajectory this way creates a decision process that isn’t so binary. You can still yearn for more time and money, while also exploring something more purpose-focused, and build towards having both. It also gives you the space to have more energy as you move forward.?

When you do a little bit of visioning and start to see the different pathways and the reality of whatever it is you want to make happen, you can start to take small actions towards the bigger blended picture.?

You begin to get a picture of what this new life would look like, what you would be doing each day, and how you’d start to split your time.?

You’d also start to see a clearer trajectory of what to do, how to do it, what it possible, how it really makes you feel, and what timeframe works, not just because you’re thinking/dreaming about it, but because you’re acting your way into what makes you come alive, a little bit at a time…which just might lead you to a bigger, more Sparked transition with less angst down the road.

Until next week!?

And, remember, be sure to listen to the fuller conversation on this week’s SPARKED Podcast.?

You can hit play on the player above, or click here now to listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1610198312

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Discover your own personal Sparketype Profile (for free), just visit Sparketype.com now.

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