Have you ever caught yourself staring out the window during a workday, wondering if there’s something more? That quiet moment when you ask yourself if what you’re doing truly matters? I’ve been there too. And in my years as a heart leadership coach, I’ve sat with hundreds of people wrestling with the same question: What am I truly meant to do with my life?

This isn’t just casual curiosity. It’s the voice of your heart nudging you toward something deeper. This week, I want to explore the profound difference between having a job, building a career, and answering a higher calling – and why understanding this distinction might be the key to unlocking your heart’s true potential.

The Difference Between a Job, a Career, and a Higher Calling: Unlocking Your Heart’s True Potential

The Job: When Work is Just Work

Some people have a job. They see their daily work as a means to an end – a transaction where time and effort are exchanged for a paycheck. The job itself isn’t the point; it’s what the job provides that matters: food on the table, a roof overhead, support for the family.

When someone with a job is asked how they feel about their work, you’ll often hear: “It’s just a job. It pays the bills, but my heart isn’t in it.”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with having a job. It provides stability, teaches discipline, and meets immediate needs. But when work feels separate from who you are – when you leave your true self at home each morning – something essential is missing.

The Career: Climbing the Ladder of Success

Some people have a career. A career is more than just work; it’s a path of advancement, a professional journey with milestones and achievements. It promises growth, increased responsibility, and usually, greater financial rewards. Careers often become intertwined with identity – “I’m a doctor” or “I’m an architect” – and provide a sense of direction and purpose.

When you ask someone about their career, they might say: “I like it, but I hardly have any time for my family, friends, or doing the things I enjoy.”

A career can be deeply rewarding, especially when it aligns with your strengths and interests. But when advancement becomes an end in itself – when you’re climbing the ladder without asking if it’s leaning against the right wall – even success can feel empty.

The Higher Calling: When Work Becomes Purpose

Other people have a higher calling. A higher calling is work that feels inseparable from who you are at your core. It’s something you’re going to do no matter what, whether you’re getting paid for it or not. What you do becomes an integral part of who you are, your core values in life, and your identity – even if it means great sacrifice at times. You view what you do as a form of self-expression, personal fulfillment, and spiritual satisfaction.

When someone is following their higher calling, they’ll often tell you: “This is who I am and who I came here to be.”

Research from the HeartMath Institute suggests that when we align our work with our heart’s wisdom, we experience a measurable state of coherence – our physical, mental, and emotional systems function in harmony. This isn’t just spiritual talk; it’s biological reality. Following your calling creates literal harmony in your being.

Can You Combine All Three?

Imagine for a moment what it would be like to bring your job, career, and higher calling into one. If what you do every day not only provides financial stability and growth opportunities but is also a natural expression of your soul’s purpose – how would your life be different? How would you feel waking up each morning? What would that look like?

More importantly, would you choose it?

My own journey reflects this integration. I’ve worn many hats throughout my life – stable hand, groom, horse rider, horse trainer, actor, film producer, corporate executive in the film industry – each step a job that paid the bills or a career that promised advancement. Yet something was always missing.

When I left it all behind to become a minister and later a coach, what looked like career suicide to some was actually me stepping closer to my higher calling. Today, what I do each day is technically a job. I’m building a career as a professional coach and artist. But the driving force is my higher calling – making a meaningful impact in people’s lives by helping them connect with their hearts.

I often work for little financial reward or even no pay at all. Why? Because it’s what I’m called to do. The beautiful paradox is that by following this calling, I’ve found greater fulfillment than any previous job or career could provide.

I believe this integration is not only possible but is what our hearts are continually calling us toward. When work becomes a vehicle for both material provision and spiritual fulfillment, we experience what ancient wisdom traditions called “right livelihood” – work that nourishes rather than depletes, that gives rather than takes.

As Rumi so beautifully said, “What you seek is seeking you.” Your calling isn’t just something you pursue – it’s pursuing you. It’s that persistent whisper in your heart that won’t let go, that keeps showing up in your dreams and quiet moments. Are you ready to answer this inner call?

Answering The Inner Call: Listening to Your Heart’s Wisdom

Deep in your heart, there’s an infinitely loving presence calling you to be who you really are. In mystical Christian and Sufi traditions, this presence was called “the inner man of the heart.” In ancient China, it was called “Tian Ming” or the “mandate from Heaven.” Some call it the voice of the Holy Spirit, others simply “my heart.”

Whatever name resonates with you, what matters most is that you begin listening to it.

But how do you hear this call amid the noise of everyday life? Through my work with heart intelligence, I’ve found that listening requires four essential elements:

1. Stillness

The heart speaks in whispers, not shouts. Creating moments of genuine quiet – away from screens, notifications, and endless to-do lists – allows its voice to emerge. Even five minutes of conscious breathing with your hand on your heart can open a channel of communication.

Try this: Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Sit comfortably, place one hand on your heart, and close your eyes. Take five slow, deep breaths, focusing on the sensation of your hand rising and falling with each breath. Then silently ask, “What matters most to me right now?” Don’t force an answer – just remain receptive for a few minutes, noticing any images, feelings, or insights that arise. Journal what you experience afterward.

2. Presence

The heart exists in the now – not in regrets about the past or anxieties about the future. When you fully arrive in the present moment, you enter the heart’s natural domain. This presence brings clarity that the scattered mind cannot access.

Try this: Set a timer for five minutes. For this brief time, fully engage with whatever you’re doing – whether it’s washing dishes, walking, or sitting in stillness. Notice textures, sounds, sensations, and thoughts without getting caught up in them. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the present experience. Practice this “micro-presence” several times throughout your day, especially before making important decisions.

3. Attention to Body Wisdom

Your body is constantly sending signals about what feels right or wrong for you. A subtle sense of expansion and lightness often accompanies heart-aligned choices, while constriction and heaviness may signal misalignment. Learning to recognize these sensations provides invaluable guidance.

Try this: Think of a potential path or decision in your life. Close your eyes and imagine yourself choosing this path. Scan your body from head to toe, noticing any areas of tension or relaxation. Pay particular attention to your gut (solar plexus), heart (center chest), and throat. Does each area feel open and relaxed, or tight and constricted? Now imagine an alternative path and repeat the body scan. Compare the physical sensations. Your body often knows your truth before your mind can articulate it.

4. Courage to Trust

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of following your heart’s calling is having the courage to trust what you hear – especially when it contradicts conventional wisdom or requires stepping into the unknown.

Try this: Identify one small way you can honor your heart’s wisdom this week. It might be having a conversation you’ve been avoiding, creating time for an activity that brings you joy, or saying no to something that doesn’t align with your values. Taking small, consistent actions builds your trust muscle and demonstrates to your heart that you’re listening.

One client described this leap of faith beautifully: “Following my heart felt like stepping off a cliff, only to discover I had wings I never knew existed.”

To help you fully embody this process, have a listen to my guided meditation, Finding Your Heart Path, which is part of my 21-Day Heart-Centered Meditation Experience.

​

Final Thoughts

Whether you currently see yourself as having a job, a career, or a higher calling, what matters most is that you’re honest about your experience and open to listening more deeply. Your heart is always broadcasting wisdom – guiding you toward greater alignment, purpose, and joy.

As Rumi wrote, “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” Your calling isn’t just what you choose – in many ways, it has already chosen you.

Will you choose to tune in? Will you have the courage to follow what you hear?

The integration of livelihood and calling may be the most profound work of your life. It asks you to bring your full self to what you do – to transform work from a segment of life to a canvas for expressing who you truly are.

This journey begins with a simple question asked with genuine curiosity: What is my heart calling me to become and create in this world?

This week, I invite you to sit with this question, to create space for the answer to emerge, and to take even one small step in the direction your feeling heart guides you. Because when work becomes more than a job or career – when it becomes a vessel for your highest purpose – everything changes. Not just for you, but for everyone your life touches.

From my heart to yours,

—Gabriel

PS. When you're ready, here are several ways I can support you on your journey.
PPS. One last thing… If someone shared this newsletter with you, you can always subscribe to the newsletter here.