In previous stages, the pursuit of love, recognition, and success shapes our lives slowly but surely to the point that we end up, in the words of poet May Sarton, "wearing other people's faces." In Teal, our journey toward inner rightness prompts some soul searching of who we are and what our purpose in life might be. The ultimate goal in life is not to be successful or loved, but to become the truest expression of ourselves, to live into authentic selfhood, to honor our birthright gifts and callings, and be of service to humanity and our world. In Teal, life is seen as a journey of personal and collective unfolding toward our true nature.

This is like a Copernican revolution in an age that tells us that we can become anything we want, if we only put our mind to it. If we "go Teal", then instead of setting goals for our life, dictating what direction it should take, we learn to let go and listen to the life that wants to be lived through us. Parker Palmer, the author, educator, and activist, writes beautifully about this perspective on life and vocation in his book Let Your Life Speak:

Behind the understanding of vocation is a truth that the ego does not want to hear because it threatens the ego's turf: everyone has a life that is different from the "I" of daily consciousness, a life that is trying to live through the "I" who is its vessel. … It takes time and hard experience to sense the difference between the two - to sense that running beneath the surface of the experience I call my life, there is a deeper and truer life waiting to be acknowledged. ^[7]

Many people transitioning to this stage take up practices like meditation, centering, martial arts, yoga, or simply walking in nature to find a quiet place that allows the inner voice of the soul to speak its truth and guidance. Individuals who live from this perspective and connect to a deeper sense of purpose can become quite fearless in pursuit of their calling. With their ego under control, they don't fear failure as much as not trying. Clare Graves' favorite phrase to describe someone operating from Teal was "a person who has ambition, but is not ambitious."

Growing into their true nature and working toward their calling is their driving force, so much so that to others who don't come from the same perspective, persons operating from Teal can sometimes come across as impatient with people who impede their personal growth, or with situations that don't feel aligned with the purpose they perceive for their life.^[8]