Mini Dharmas: Finding Agency in a Job You Don’t Love
We’ve talked a lot about the big career pivot – quitting the soul-sucking job, chasing the dream, and aligning your career with your calling. But let’s get real for a second: What do you do when you aren’t ready to jump yet?
Maybe you have a mortgage or a family that depends on that stable paycheck. Maybe you’re currently building your bridge strategy, but for now, you still have to log in on Monday morning to a job that feels entirely too small.
It is easy to feel like your life is on hold during these chapters. We often fall into the trap of thinking: “I’ll start living my dharma once I leave this place.”
But here’s the secret to reclaiming your power: dharma isn’t just a destination; it’s a way of moving through the world. Even in a non-aligned environment, you can find your mini dharmas (small, intentional ways to practice your purpose right where you are.)
Survival vs. Stagnation: The Proactive Pause
I don’t suggest you sit around and make peace with a job that is suffocating your spirit. If you are in an environment that drains you, your primary aligned action should be building your way out — whether that’s networking, upskilling, or aggressively applying to roles that fit your “Extraordinary Life” blueprint.
However, the bridge between where you are and where you’re going can sometimes take months or even years. If you spend that entire time in waiting mode, you arrive at your dream job depleted and bitter.
This is where mini dharmas enter the picture; mini dharmas are the oxygen you breathe while you build your exit. They keep your soul awake so that when the right door finally opens, you’re ready to walk through it as your best self.
Your Dharma is Portable
I’ve felt this deeply in my own journey. My dharma is being a guide. I want to help people navigate the noise of societal expectations and design lives that feel like their own.
Does my current corporate role in finance involve deep spiritual coaching? Not exactly. But because I know my dharma is to guide and structure chaos, I don’t have to wait for the dream job to start practicing it.
Instead, I weave my dharma into the cracks of my daily tasks:
- Structuring chaos: As a PM, I create centralized resources and weekly updates so my team never feels lost. My entire job centers around guiding them toward clarity.
- Empowering others: I educate stakeholders on processes to give them the tools to succeed.
- Mentorship: Whether it was managing an intern in my past role or mentoring new team members, teaching is my fuel.
I may not find the corporate spreadsheets inherently meaningful, but I find profound meaning in the way I support the humans around me. I’ve expressed this passion to my managers in my last three roles, and it’s given my the opportunity to take on work that fills me each time.
More often than not, managers want to support your growth, but they just need you to lead your way. When you name your dharma, you give people the vocabulary to help you live it.
Beyond the 9-to-5: Intentional Living Tips
Here is the liberating truth: Your career doesn’t have to be the only container for your dharma. If you feel like you’re suffocating in your office chair, remember that your purpose is also expressed in the roles you play outside of that building. Remember, dharma is your way of moving through the world regardless of the setting.
Here are some ways it shows up:
- Caring for your family or children
- Planning experiences: I personally find so much fulfillment in managing life and travel (Japan itineraries!) because it’s another way I guide people (including myself) toward joy and presence.
- Volunteering and Hobbies: Whether it’s through sports, music, art, or community seva, these aren’t just hobbies. They are the stages where your authentic self gets to perform without a corporate script.
If your job is currently just sponsoring these more aligned parts of your life, let it be that. There is no shame in a job that funds your ability to be an extraordinary parent, artist, or community leader.
How to Find Your Mini Dharma This Week
If you feel stuck in a job that doesn’t fit, stop looking at the job description and start looking at your process. How you do what you do is where your agency lives.
- Identify your core thread: Are you a natural peacemaker? A problem-solver? A cheerleader? That thread stays with you whether you’re at a desk or on a soccer field.
- Make your pitch: Find one small way to pursue your dharma in your current job. If you love teaching, offer to train a new hire. If you love organization, fix that one messy shared folder.
- Set the “boundary of being”: Decide that while the company owns your time, they do not own who you are, how you are. You are a purposeful human and you can always live your dharma outside of work.
The Extraordinary Truth for Career Alignment
You don’t need a permission slip to start being yourself.
When you practice your mini dharmas, the “waiting room” of your current career stops feeling like a prison and starts feeling like a training ground.
You aren’t just getting through the days.
You are actively becoming.
The Coaching Corner: The Power of Your Portable Dharma
The Reflection: If your job title disappeared tomorrow, what is the one thing you would still naturally do for your colleagues or your family? That is your portable dharma.
The Alignment Action: This week, identify one area inside or outside of work where you can lean into your dharma. Is it organizing a family dinner? Spending 30 minutes on a hobby that makes you feel like “you”? Taking one strategic step toward your career exit? Do it with the full awareness that this is your life’s work.
Ready to find your portable dharma? If you’re struggling to stay aligned in a workspace that feels heavy, let’s talk. I help people find their voice and their power while they’re still in the “bridge” phase. Apply here for a free coaching session and let’s find your mini dharmas together.
