Reprinted by permission. This article first appeared in Jennifer Chandler's Esteem Rising blog.

'I want to feel fulfilled at the end of the day. I want to feel what I do matters. I want to feel like I'm living up to my potential. I want to make a difference.'

All of these statements, and more, represent what I have heard from others and have even uttered myself. They are at the core of our reasons for working but how we get to them is often the challenge. What we should know, going in, is that we don't work solely for money. If it was about money the Oprah Winfrey's and Donald Trumps of the world could have quit a long time ago. However, there was a time perhaps when money was a strong motivator.

Remember that first JOB you received? That was most likely born out of a need for pocket money or to keep a roof over your head. I remember my first "real" job as a retail sales clerk, I needed it! I had left home and survival was my only true reason for dropping off resumes. Soon into my job, I quickly realized there is more to this than just a paycheque. At the end of the day I went home going over my experience and realized "Hey! I like this" or "Hey, I don't like that." I became aware that I had ethics…I didn't know the definition of the word so much but I knew the feeling and I had preferences that made me strong in certain areas of my work. It was important to me that what I did mattered and that I was authentic in my dealings with people.

There are so many examples of how we go from the "job" to developing our careers; shaped in profound ways. The definition of ourselves and those around us expands expediently through the career, which as I have mentioned before is the sum total of all your life experiences. How magnificent that you, unique in all the world, gets to contribute your talents to the betterment of our communities. Whether paid or unpaid, it does not matter, as you are welcome to make a difference. Having said that, "making a difference" should not be something you painfully strive for. I see and hear about so many people tortured by the question "How can I make a difference?" You already are! You are here. That may seem so insignificant from your perspective but not from those who have come in contact with you, been loved by you, been nurtured by your spirit.

To feel fulfilled at the end of any day is to look for one thing you learned that you didn't know yesterday. It can be about yourself, someone else or the world. In taking in that piece of information you may well be enhancing your career, let alone your personal life. How many times have you used something you have learned personally and applied it to a professional situation. In that moment, in the success of that one moment, you have fulfilled something you were meant to do. Things don't have to be grandiose in order to be impressive; simplicity fits wonderfully in our space.

To live up to your potential, I believe, you must be truly open to possibilities; not strangling its energy in 'should be's' nor marring it in unrealistic timelines. A while back I had a young man in my classroom that was worried that he was not living up to his 'purpose', he felt God had a plan and he was not hearing what that plan was. It was painful to see in his face that he believed time was ticking away and he wasn't getting things right. He was in his early twenties. What struck me in the course of our discussion, is that while he toiled over his perceived shortfalls he was unable to devote energy to hearing the answers to his own questions. He is a brilliant, talented, intelligent young man, already doing incredible things for his family and community but that in itself was not enough.

We have all the answers we need inside ourselves. If we truly are open to the natural rhythms of our life than we can trust that we live in harmony with what is possible every day. If we listened without the noise of "yes buts" and "what ifs" our potential would not seem so dependent on outside entities. We often get in the way of ourselves, restrained by fictitious outcomes and old voices in our heads.

We live up to our potential the minute we break free from those chains and begin to open up the question "What's next?" with the enthusiasm of a child rather than being stunned by the veracity of our experiences.

At the end of the day if you really want a fulfilling career you must be very clear about what you value. Be open to learning in all of its forms, which includes, through people you initially did not perceive were your teachers.

You must be aware of that emotional blueprint that exist within us all, which is manifested most when you are doing something you love to do. That twinge of excitement, relaxed state, pure bliss moment; times when you have dropped all guard.

Don't look to others to validate your existence or direction because many will surely let you down. Instead, trust that you came into this world to learn your own lessons and everything that comes your way is already in service of realizing those goals.

Don't compare yourself to others, they have very distinct paths they are to follow. If you really want to see the magnificence of living your purpose or potential look to nature.

From the mightiest tree to the smallest insect everything matters – it truly is a sacred circle.