Every day it seems folks want to talk to me about how to discover the work they love. In fact, today I did a 30 mile bike ride with my good friend Gary. Guess what Gary wanted to talk about?
As Gary and I pedaled through the relatively mild Texas morning (hey, it was only 88 degrees at 11am you know), we talked about our mutual passion to help others achieve their life goals in pursuit of their dreams. We wondered out loud about how as a society we simply never seemed to get around to creating environments to raise up people to embrace and pursue the work our God "made" us to do.
I shared with Gary my viewpoint that God has woven us like a fine fabric -- unique in every aspect. Just like fabrics, we all take along our different textures, patterns, colors and other unique attributes (water or fire retardant, etc) through life. Our "fabric" is determined by our personality style, strengths, passions and purpose.
"I was not encouraged as a young person to discover myself and find the work that truly fits me". It seems the majority of adults feel this way. However, if we understand these truths now, then why do we not immediately create more nurturing environments to help our children discover their calling or even require it in our middle schools through college?
There could be many reasons why we continue the cycle of dissatisfaction with our work. The possibilities are many:
The perceived safety of our current job trumps the apparent risk of going elsewhere. It feels scary to trade the safety of the known with the risk of the unknown. Security is with our employer, not in the possibilities that lay between our own ears and within our heart.
We don't want to embarrass ourselves or disappoint our family with our dreams and personal desires. "Boy, get your head out of the clouds and get back to work!" Do you see it as imperative to nurture your child's -- and your -- dreams and passions and help them learn to pursue them for the good of others ... even if they don't reflect your desires for their life?
We don't truly belief we're worth something better. We may believe what our boss, siblings, mom or dad, "friends" -- our ourself -- says or thinks about us.
Work is for money, and our free time is to compensate for work we don't love. I can't have my cake and eat it too.
We don't know how to break the cycle, so we stay with the "tried and true" work we know.
"Cursed is the man who has found some other man's work and cannot lose it. When we talk about the great workers of the world we really mean the
great players of the world. The fellows who groan and sweat under the
weary load of toil that they bear never can hope to do anything great. How can they when their souls are in a ferment of revolt against the employment of their hands and brains?" ~ Mark Twain
If you're held up in the fear of changehere are a few thought provoking questions to ask yourself:
What would you do if there were no way you could fail? If
you were an expert?
What is: one place you want to visit, one thing to do before
you die (create the memory of a lifetime), on thing to do daily, one thing
to do weekly, one thing you've always wanted to learn? Deposits of
success in other areas will often help you make breakthroughs in your
career.
Define the nightmare of doing nothing: staying in the same work
your in now. Clearly lay out what is so bad for you in your current
job.
Define your nightmare: the absolute worse thing that could
happen if you did what you are considering.
What steps could you take to get things back on the upswing (even
temporarily) if you left your job and your nightmare happened?
If you were fired from your job today, what would you do to
get things under financial control?
What are you putting off out of fear?
What is it costing you -- financially, emotionally and physically
-- to postpone action?
What are you REALLY waiting for?
Regardless of your age, here are a few suggestions you may find helpful in the pursuit of the work you love:
If you have a child age 10-15, have them take the Strengths Explorer youth profile found at www.strengthsexplorer.com. It's a wonderful -- and highly accurate -- tool designed by the folks at the Gallup Organization in concert with the late Dr. Donald Clifton.
For kids and adults ages 15 and up, consider the StrengthsFinder 2.0 (www.strengthsfinder.com) developed by the same group. It also is extremely insightful; I use with with all my career/life coaching clients. You may purchase the book online or at a local bookstore. Be careful to not purchase a used copy, since you'll need a fresh access code to take the included assessment.
Take a personality and career assessment. This will compliment the strengths assessment mentioned above with an indepth report on your personality style (motivations, fears, environments where you'll thrive, your leadership style, etc). My favorite is the extensive Personality Report System; you may click here for more information about this wonderfully insightful resource.
Read 48 Days to the Work You Love by my friend author Dan Miller and do what it says. If you're more entreprenuerially bent, devourDan's newest book No More Mondays.
If you want to get into an online "virtual" business, check out Tim Ferris' The 4-Hour Work Week. Tim will show you the ropes on how to run your online business from virtually anywhere in the world. Really.
Read, read, read. There are nothing like good books to inspire -- and cleanse -- your mind. If you want your body to look like you move it, exercise and eat well. If you want your mind to be sharp and full of possibilities, read. You don't have to invent it yourself; let others inspire your creativity. The answer is not in the TV set.
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