Are Your Business and Career Dreams Truly Yours or Inherited?
We often talk about inherited trauma…
But what about inherited dreams?
Whether you’re aware of it or not, your career and business aspirations may not have originated entirely with you.
They may have started with your parents, your grandparents—even generations before.
Their desires, fears, and unfinished goals can subtly pass down like a legacy.
You grew up around it. You watched them do it. You absorbed their passions, their struggles, their rhythms. It became your normal.
– Doctors often raise children who become doctors
– Creatives raise creatives
– Entrepreneurs coach the next generation of entrepreneurs
And there’s nothing wrong with that!
But in some cases, you may have been nudged or pushed into continuing it.
Consciously or unconsciously.
For some, there was never another option than to one day work in the family business—even if you quietly longed to do something else.
Or you may have felt internal pressure to choose the same profession as your parents, even if they were encouraging you to follow your own path.
Or perhaps you have been resisting to walk the similar path or aspects of it, even if you wanted to.
Let’s Take This a Step Deeper
Whatever situation you’re in—now, in the past, or in the future—it’s part of your soul’s journey on this planet. You came here to grow. To learn about life and yourself. To explore relationships, boundaries, and love.
And yes, I believe that you chose your family before birth.
Maybe one reason was that they could show you the path to building a business.
Maybe they modeled a profession that deeply fulfils you.
Maybe you have chosen to have the same collective dream.
Or maybe they were meant to teach you how to step away from their dreams—and make space for your own direction.
Here’s the truth:
You can only find your real answers if you’re willing to look within and accept what you find. Then you can choose differently, if that’s what you want.
What I Discovered Recently
Lately, I’ve felt the need to reclarify something essential:
What am I truly here to build and create in my business and career?
For years, I held a crystal-clear vision. I saw my business in vivid detail—my office, my services, my offerings. I was deeply committed. That dream gave me direction, energy, and a sense of safety through the natural ebb and flow of entrepreneurship.
But after walking a path of deep self-healing, something shifted. I felt my life purpose staying the same, but my business and career dream was no longer in alignment with who I had become.
So, I paused. I reflected.
And what I discovered surprised me.
As I went deeper into my inner world, I saw how much of my dreams had been built on inherited dreams—from my parents, and grandparents.
Even if in my case, I had always been given the freedom to choose my own path. No one ever told me who I had to become.
And still, I found myself carrying inherited dreams. I saw how I had been continuing aspects of their paths.
I began to recognize moments in my life that were tied somehow to their aspirations.
The more I looked, the more I found. And with them came a heaviness:
– Pressure to “get it right this time”
– Pressure to keep going, no matter what
– Pressure to try harder
Where were my dreams?
That’s when I realized:
I could free myself and take my power back. And in doing so, I could begin to discover my true, heart-level business and career dreams.
Dreams that might still strongly be connected to the beautiful gifts and hopes I’ve inherited. But this time, they come from me and my heart.
Letting All Ancestral Career Dreams Go
Letting go wasn’t just about shifting thoughts—it was deep inner work. I had to release the fears and traumas attached to those inherited dreams.
– I had to heal the lingering energy of bankruptcy that had affected some of my relatives
– I had to release moments of disappointment
– I let go of the pressure to walk their paths
– I released the need to succeed for them
– I released the quiet hopes and unspoken wishes they may have carried
I even released my resistance to walking similar paths, because I still want to… but on my terms.
After a while, I felt free. Most importantly, I felt allowed to have my dreams.
Now, as I rebuild my company, I feel a refreshed energy and a stronger connection to myself. I’m deeply grateful for all the inherited gifts and lessons, as they’re part of the foundation.
But now, my business is being shaped by a new vision. One that’s truly mine.
Heal with me for a sec.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your career or business dreams are truly yours or inherited from generations before, this is your invitation to look within.
To reconnect with yourself.
And if you are a parent, ask yourself:
in what way am I transforming my career dreams to my kids?
I’m here when you want to explore this topic further.
Essi Koski-Lammi
Essi Koski-Lammi is a Wellbeing Trailblazer, Feminine Executive Coach, Healer, Clairvoyant and Conscious Interior Designer. She believes that how we live, work, and care for ourselves is deeply influenced by the connection between the spaces within and around us. With a diploma in interior design, over 22 years of experience in energy healing and meditation, MSC in Business and a strong background in global branding and marketing, Essi combines her expertise to empower women to transform their homes, businesses, and lives — and most importantly, themselves — so that every part of life feels aligned and truly their own.
