Finding Your True North

How Goal Setting and Career Alignment Can Transform Your Life

Do you ever feel like you’re going through the motions in your career? Like you’re climbing a ladder that’s leaning against the wrong wall? You’re not alone. Many of us find ourselves in jobs that pay the bills but leave us feeling empty at the end of the day. According to Gallup’s 2023 State of the Global Workplace report, approximately 50% of U.S. workers are “not engaged” at work. That’s half the workforce simply going through the motions, collecting a paycheck, but not finding meaning or purpose in what they do. According to another Gallup survey, 58% of Americans believe tariffs will lead to higher consumer prices, while only 28% think they’ll protect American jobs.

This disconnect between what we do and who we want to be creates what we at The Entrepreneur’s Source call “Battered Career Syndrome®” – a condition where fear and uncertainty keep us stuck in unfulfilling jobs, preventing us from exploring better options that might truly align with our values and goals.

But there is a path forward that begins with something seemingly simple yet profoundly powerful: setting clear goals that align with who you are.

The Psychology of Goal Setting: More Than Just a To-Do List

“If we don’t even put a goal out there and we don’t even try, psychologically, I feel like we would live a very empty life,” says Tamara Loring in a recent career development discussion. This statement captures an essential truth: goals aren’t just tasks to check off but the roadmap to a meaningful life.

Think about driving a car. You wouldn’t just get in and start driving with no destination (or if you did, you might end up somewhere you don’t want to be!). Goals work similarly – they direct our efforts and purpose to our journey.

But here’s where many of us get stuck: we set goals based on what others expect of us, not what truly resonates with our values and aspirations. Maybe you pursued a career in finance because your parents thought it was stable, even though your passion lies in creative fields. Or perhaps you climbed the corporate ladder because that’s what success looks like to society, even though it meant sacrificing time with your family, something you deeply value.

The Misalignment Problem: When Your Job and Your Heart Don’t Match

The consequences of this misalignment can be serious. A 2022 report from McKinsey revealed that American workers interested in self-employment options have increased by 27% in the last decade. This surge reflects a growing desire for greater autonomy and purpose, elements often missing in traditional employment settings.

When your daily work doesn’t connect with your deeper values and goals, you might experience:

• Chronic stress and burnout
• Sunday night anxiety about the upcoming workweek
• A persistent feeling that something is missing
• Questioning if this is “all there is” to your career

These feelings aren’t just uncomfortable – they signal that something important needs to change.

Discovering Your True Goals: Vehicles vs. Destinations

One of the most potent concepts in goal setting is understanding the difference between vehicles and destinations. Tamara Loring explains, “Your goals, if they hit your primary aim in life, if they’re the real goals that you’re pursuing, you will know that everything else is just a vehicle to help you accomplish that.”

This perspective shift can be game-changing. Consider this example: owning a porta-potty business might not sound like anyone’s dream job on the surface. But what if that business provided excellent income while requiring only 15-20 hours of your time each week? Suddenly, that ‘unglamorous’ business becomes a powerful vehicle for what you truly want – financial security and time freedom to pursue other passions, be with family, or travel. Understanding this difference can be a relief, as it empowers you to see beyond the surface and focus on what truly matters.

The question isn’t ‘Is this job my dream?’ but rather ‘Does this job or business help me achieve my dream life?’ Aligning your job with your dream life can give you a sense of purpose and inspiration, motivating you to strive for a career that truly fulfills you.

The Role of Support Systems: You Don’t Have to Figure It Out Alone

According to a LinkedIn survey, 87% of professionals say they still apply valuable career lessons taught by their mothers in their professional lives today. This statistic highlights an important truth: we all benefit from guidance and mentorship.

Just as many of us received foundational wisdom from parents or early mentors, continuing to seek guidance as we navigate career transitions is not just helpful – it’s essential. Yet many professionals try to figure everything out alone, especially when contemplating significant changes like:

• Leaving corporate employment for entrepreneurship
• Changing industries mid-career
• Scaling back work to focus on personal priorities
• Building a business that better aligns with personal values

What a Career Ownership Coach® Brings to Your Journey

At The Entrepreneur’s Source, our Career Ownership Coaches® serve as trusted guides for professionals seeking greater alignment between their work and their deepest values. Unlike traditional career counselors who might help you find another job, a Career Ownership Coach® helps you completely reimagine your relationship with work.

Here’s how this unique coaching approach differs:

1. Discovering Your “Primary Aim”

Before jumping to solutions, a Career Ownership Coach® helps you clarify your “Primary Aim” – your core purpose and what truly matters to you. This process often involves:

• Identifying your non-negotiable values
• Understanding what success means to you (not society’s definition)
• Clarifying your desired lifestyle, including how you want to spend your time
• Determining your long-term financial and legacy goals

When you have clarity about these fundamental elements, decision-making becomes much easier.

2. Expanding Your Possibilities

Many professionals suffer from “possibility blindness” – they can’t see options beyond their current career path. A Career Ownership Coach® helps broaden your perspective by:

• Introducing business models you might never have considered
• Showing real-world examples of people who’ve successfully transitioned
• Challenging limiting beliefs about what’s possible for your career
• Providing data-driven insights about various business options

 3. Creating a Strategic Roadmap

Knowing where you want to go is only half the battle – you also need a practical plan to get there. Your Career Ownership Coach® helps by:

• Breaking down significant transitions into manageable steps
• Identifying resources you’ll need along the way
• Anticipating potential obstacles before they arise
• Creating accountability for taking consistent action

This strategic approach significantly increases your chances of successfully navigating major career changes.

4. Providing Emotional Support During Transitions

Career transitions can be emotionally challenging. Your coach provides crucial support by:

• Normalizing the discomfort that comes with growth
• Helping you process fears and doubts constructively
• Celebrating progress and small wins
• Providing perspective when challenges arise

Tamara Loring points out, “Supporting yourself with or surrounding yourself with people who support your dream… is just as important in goal setting.” Your coach becomes a key part of that support system.

The Successful but Unfulfilled Professional

Maria had climbed the corporate ladder for 15 years. On paper, she was successful – excellent salary, impressive title, respect from colleagues. But she felt empty and wondered if there was more to life than endless meetings and corporate politics.

Working with a Career Ownership Coach®, Maria discovered her Primary Aim centered around creating a positive impact and having more control over her time. After exploring various options, she transitioned to owning a business in the education sector aligned with her values while providing better income potential and lifestyle flexibility.

The Mid-Career Pivot Seeker

James had worked in manufacturing for decades when his industry began changing rapidly. Rather than waiting for potential layoffs, he proactively sought guidance from a Career Ownership Coach®.

Through their work together, James realized his technical expertise and leadership skills could transfer to business ownership in a completely different industry. His coach helped him find a business model that leveraged his strengths while addressing his concerns about risk and ensuring he could still provide for his family during the transition.

The Would-Be Entrepreneur Held Back by Fear

Sophia had dreamed of running her own business for years, but was paralyzed by fear of failure and uncertainty about where to start. Her Career Ownership Coach® helped her identify the specific fears holding her back and develop strategies to address each one.

With clear goals and a step-by-step plan, Sophia launched her business while maintaining her day job, gradually building her venture until it replaced her corporate income. Her coach’s guidance helped her avoid common pitfalls and build confidence through incremental successes.

If you’re feeling that disconnect between your work and your deeper aspirations, here are practical steps you can take:

• Reflect honestly on your current situation: Are you truly fulfilled or just comfortable? Are you building something meaningful, or just collecting paychecks?
• Clarify what matters most: What are your non-negotiable values? What does success look like for you? What type of lifestyle do you want?
• Expand your vision of what’s possible: Challenge yourself to look beyond traditional career paths. What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
• Seek proper guidance: Consider working with a Career Ownership Coach® who can provide expert guidance tailored to your unique situation and help you navigate this important transition.

As Tony Robbins points out, success isn’t determined by our resources but by how resourceful we are in using what’s available to us. A Career Ownership Coach® helps you become more resourceful, seeing possibilities where others see limitations and creating strategies where others might give up.

The journey from feeling stuck and unfulfilled to achieving career ownership doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process that requires clarity, courage, and consistent action. But with the proper guidance, you can navigate this path successfully.

At The Entrepreneur’s Source, everyone deserves work that aligns with their deepest values and supports their ideal lifestyle. Our Career Ownership Coaches® are dedicated to helping you discover and achieve precisely that.

Remember what Dr. Mike Smith emphasized: pursue “life by design, not default.” When you align your career with your authentic goals and values, work becomes more than just a way to make a living – it becomes a path to creating a life that truly matters to you.

Are you ready to explore whether career ownership is your next step? We’re here to guide you on that journey.

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About Your Career Revolution

Our mission is to help individuals explore self-sufficiency as an alternative career.

We help them define their Income, Lifestyle, Wealth, and Equity goals and provide education on the best ways to achieve them. We don’t sell franchises – we help people achieve their dreams of self-sufficiency through business ownership. The approach is different, the experience is different. And it works.

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