While writing my post on the Book of Joy, I was struck by the simplicity of the generosity pillar of joy. If we have a sense of purpose, we want to share that with others, which gives us joy. As we begin a new year, many of us may feel frustrated that we're still doing that job/profession that doesn't make us happy. If this sounds like you or someone you know, I'd like to introduce you to my wonderful friend, Dr. Lynn Chang. She helps people shift their perspective in current job while uncovering their life's passion, so you can spend your time sharing something you love and receive joy!

You help others discover their life's purpose, how did you determine this was yours?

At The University of Texas at Austin I taught a class called "Career Planning," which is ironic because you can't really plan a career. Just like you can't plan how life is going to happen, you can't plan how careers are going to happen. It's a delicate dance between knowing who you are and what you want, with what the world needs and what the universe provides. The correct title of the class should have been "Career Unfolding" because it's in the step-by-step decisions you make along with the twists and turns of life that actually chart out your career path.

The clues to one's Life Purpose are all there in front of us. My job is to teach people how to listen from within, how to address the self-doubts when they arise, and how to use their gifts to lift all of us up. When I finally discovered how this life purpose thing actually works, it was like learning a magician's best-kept secret. I couldn't wait to tell everyone!

What makes your approach to career consulting unique?

I'm grateful for all of my years working as a university career counselor at UT. It taught me the fundamentals of helping people discover their path, as well as notice the nuances that each individual brought to the table. Over time I was able to quickly spot patterns and make predictions with pretty good accuracy, which is probably a product of the 10,000 hours rule. Additionally, I was diving more deeply into my yoga and spiritual studies and learning how everything was interconnected. I could intuitively see where people wanted to be in their careers and what was holding them back. Using yoga philosophy I began teaching people how to transcend barriers and reach their purpose more quickly and effortlessly. Unlike counseling or coaching, most people only need one consultation with me to gain insight into getting unstuck and a healthy dose of inspiration to follow their dreams.

Today my business CAREER ZEN is more about teaching people how to listen from within for the answers. I come from a long line of professors and feel a resonance with educators. I love teaching people how to stay open and curious to the answers that are already within them. This is how we ultimately move confidently towards our destiny. People are often curious what a session looks like. I tell them it's a balance between Eastern and Western approaches. It wouldn't be unusual for me to offer an online career assessment and talk about core motivation models, while also infusing meditations, Buddhist and yoga philosophy, and angel cards into our meeting!

What do you love most about your 'job'?

"Choose a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life," Confucius.

It's true! My colleagues and friends have often asked me what my secret was to being so happy and fulfilled at work. My entire professional life I have practiced what I preach, which is to follow your curiosity. Your internal guidance system is set up to help you navigate your path. Whenever I felt excited and alive with curiosity, I knew that was the right decision for me. I didn't have to have the next 5 years all mapped out, it didn't have to make practical sense-- t just needed to be clear on how I felt. Each step of the way, from my doctoral studies to my university job to opening my business, I felt divinely guided and supported. I have absolutely no regrets and know that my work has made a positive impact on others. Following your curiosity is the best way to use your talents for the world, and also how to live a juicy life!

I am honored to work with my clients and love briefly sharing our journeys together. What I'm essentially doing is helping them open up to a fuller, more authentic version of themselves. I can feel the world becoming brighter with each person I meet. That glorious feeling is how I know I'm on my path.

What's next for Career Zen that you're excited about?

I'm really excited to be writing my first book! The book is entitled "The 10 Day Career Cleanse." I believe that you can begin today to love your job, regardless of where you are. It's about the moment-to-moment choices we have throughout the workday to choose joy, balance, and fulfillment. It walks people through 10 days of different techniques, all based on mind-body-spirit principles that I've personally found helpful along my journey. The book is an invitation to incorporate wellness principles from the personal development realm into the professional development world. The more we place our attention on joy at work, the more joy we will feel at work.

I'll share with your readers one of my favorite techniques based on neuroscience called the Brain Dump. If you've ever taken work home with you or even had dreams about work, then this one is perfect. At the end of your work day, take a minute or two to observe the contents of your day like an outsider. Close your eyes and imagine watching an old silent black and white movie of your day. Beginning from the start of your work day until this very moment. Watch yourself go through the course of events without narration, judgment, or analysis. Just allow your brain to process what happened. Even place a "The End" sign at the end of your movie. This helps to wipe your slate clean from your work day and leave the rest of your day for you to enjoy!

Dr. Lynn Chang is available for individual meetings, donation classes, workshops, presentations, and retreats. Check out career-zen.com for more information.

What is Shamanic Reiki?

Shamanic Reiki is the combination of shamanic practice and the healing energy of Reiki. Shamanic healing techniques include cord cutting or removing emotional attachments in the energy body, soul retrieval, working with past life experiences, and healing areas of the body that may be in pain. The shamanic practitioner travels into the spirit world and communicates with guides to gain insight about the methods that are necessary to provide healing. Reiki, also known as Universal Life-force Energy, is a form of energy that the practitioner channels into and around the body of the recipient. Reiki energy adjusts itself to the needs of the patient and promotes a sense of calm, relaxation, and peace while stimulating the body’s healing response. Reiki can also facilitate the release of intense emotions such as anger, worry, and sorrow. These healing techniques blend together for the benefit of the patient. Reiki amplifies and provides energetic support for shamanic healing techniques while restoring and comforting the body. It also helps to maintain a state of calm and balance as the practitioner and patient work together using shamanic practices to heal at a deep, soul level.

How did you arrive at this healing modality? Why did you choose it?

I didn’t set out to choose Reiki, it chose me. I set out to make my spiritual practice deeper and began exploring shamanic practice. I come from a background in wildlife biology and being close to nature was important to me. So shamanic practice seemed to resonate the most for me because it was connected to ancient traditions and was based in working with the land. It was a physical illness that led to me to go deeper into the work though. In 2011, I nearly died from an autoimmune disease and somewhere in my recovery process, I became very clear that healing my sprit had to be a part of surviving. I signed up for a shamanic training apprenticeship that ended abruptly due to an emergency with my teacher’s family. One of the women in my class offered to teach me and two others Reiki if we wanted to continue together as a group, so I said yes. There was no plan. It was as though the steps on the path were laid out before me and I became a Shamanic Reiki Master. In the beginning I thought it was something that I would use for my own healing but it did not take me long to realize that I needed to be of service to others, especially to those who had experienced trauma.

What conditions benefit from Shamanic Reiki?

Overall the possibilities of healing with this work are endless. Anyone can benefit from releasing energetic blocks and restoring the balance in mind, body and spirit. I primarily focus on working with the energetic signature of autoimmune diseases and healing trauma. The energetic pattern for both of these conditions is similar in that they create a sympathetic nervous system response that wears down the both the physical body and the emotional condition of the person experiencing them. Reiki can be used to help reset the body’s flight or fight response and help a person begin to rest. When a person feels calm and rested, they also feel safe. It is in that space that shamanic healing can be done to begin mending the soul wounds caused by trauma and the effects of the autoimmune response on the body.

Can you give us a self-care tip?

We pick up a lot of the energy of the people we interact with each day and not everyone we encounter is energetically balanced at that moment. Healers, ministers, and medical professionals are exposed to the unhealed energy of others every day. At the end of the day it is important to take a few minutes to cleanse yourself of the energy you have picked up from others. An easy way to do this is to take a shower and imagine that you are washing away any energetic debris you have picked up. Consciously think about releasing the energy you have and washing it down the drain. Also visualize any of your energy that you may have given away coming back to you while you do this. You can imagine that the water becomes a yellow, cleansing light as is washes over you. If you are not able to take a shower at night take a moment to go outside and stand on the Earth and imagine that the energy you need to release is flowing down into the Earth. Don’t worry, the Earth can use this energy as fuel and can turn it into positive energy.

Izzy does sessions in Austin and distance sessions. Learn more and book here.

Want to learn Reiki? Learn from Izzy! More info here.

Izzy also makes Reiki-infused essential oils, incense and sprays so you can cleanse your environment. Check out her Etsy shop here.