Your passion for health and wellness lights you up so much that you’re itching to get more involved in the field. With it now being one of your deeply-rooted values, you’re wondering, “Could health coaching be my calling?”
Imagine leading a life that’s fueled by purpose—how would your life be different then? You’d get out of bed in the morning filled with energy, drive, and a satisfying air of fulfillment, ready to make a difference in the world.
Most people spend far too much of their lives working day in, and day out, at a job that feels like…a job. They do it because they feel stuck or safe and because change is sometimes scary. Individuals who overcome this sort of static existence do so by adopting a growth mindset and seeing change as a challenging opportunity that they’re capable of pursuing.
It’s your turn to step into this growth mindset and envision how many people you could help if your days were dedicated to doing something you really loved—like helping others live healthier lives!
If you’re wondering how to confirm whether this path is for you, take a look at the formula below. Then we’ll go through each piece of this method together:
G + P + V = C
Gifts + Passion + Values = CALLING
That equation was born on the back of a napkin belonging to purpose expert Richard Leider:
“If you approach every day with an intention to use your gifts on things you feel passionate or purposeful about in an environment that aligns with your core values, you’ve got a calling.”
When you thoughtfully answer each part of Leider’s “Napkin Test,” you’re that much closer to discovering your true calling. Get your pen and paper (or napkin) ready and start digging…
What are your Gifts?
What are your natural talents?
What comes easy to you that is more difficult for others?
Which parts of your personality, or way of thinking, attract others to seek your help or guidance?
What’s something you’ve learned how to do and never get tired of doing?
Sometimes your gifts may seem inapplicable to a career in health and wellness, but there’s really no telling how and when your current skills may benefit you in the future.
The following is a limited list of obvious and not-so-obvious gifts that many health coaches possess. Use it as inspiration for your own list:
- Being empathic or emotionally connected to others
- Being optimistic or especially encouraging
- Skilled in using/learning technology
- Skilled at cooking, meditating, writing, presenting, or video/photography.
- Experience in graphic design or sales
- Being an out-of-the-box thinker
What is your Passion?
It’s safe to say we know your passion is health-centered, right? Maybe it’s fitness you love, or nutrition, habit change, or mental wellness, or it could be something more specific like digestive health or recovering from Lyme Disease. Whatever it is, write it down.
What are you most curious about?
What are you endlessly driven to read or learn more about?
Therein lies your passion(s). That’s probably how you found yourself reading this article today—you were driven by a fire inside of you that’s ready to glow.
What are your Values?
This part of the equation can be the toughest of all. As it relates to your calling, your values are represented by the community, philosophy, or culture that drives your passion or gives your life an overarching sense of assuredness.
What is the place or community that you feel most connected to?
What is the philosophy or belief-system that guides you when you lose your way?
How do you know you’re doing the right thing? Your values. They’re your North Star. They’re your why and your how. They’re your all-knowing guided truth, and with them, you feel most capable. Having a clearly-stated system of values, as it relates to your passion, helps drive you forward with confidence and nurture your personal growth with better resilience.
Here at the Primal Health Coach Institute and within our ever-growing Primal community, we share a common value that’s grounded in ancestral health—a time-tested primal philosophy. From our graduates to our readers and our greatest success stories, we find ourselves like one big supportive tribe. Here are some of our graduates at an annual health conference called Paleo f(x):
Many of our coaches confirmed their calling by pursuing an inner desire to find a community of like-minded primal enthusiasts.
Combine your gifts with your passion and your values. Now, you’ve found your calling. Your calling is what gets you up in the morning with aliveness, deeper self-worth, better health, and life satisfaction.
Richard Leider shares a fascinating, primal-aligned story here that reminds us how intrinsic a meaningful existence is:
“Purpose—an evolutionary impulse to make things better—is in our DNA as humans. Case in point: I once had a conversation with an elder in Africa, a member of the hunter-gatherer Hadza tribe. ‘Do you know what the two most important days in your life are?’ he asked. ‘Of course,’ I replied, ‘birth and death.’ He scoffed and said, ‘Yes, birth is the first. But, in our tradition, the second most important day in your life is the day you determine why you were born.’”
How do you know if you’re ready?
Tap into that growth mindset and seek to nurture an ever-changing version of your best self by trying things that challenge you outside of your comfort zone. Even throughout the inevitable setbacks, you’ll move forward with resilience and wisdom, progressing with each phase of personal growth in the process.
Sometimes the biggest obstacle standing in your way of realizing your dreams is yourself. Learn more about getting out of your own way with this list of 34 tips to do just that and start your health coaching journey now.
