Professional Destiny "Heroes" — Let's Hear Your Stories!

August 7, 2009

One of the things I’m most excited about doing with this blog is sharing stories of people who have made the leap from an unfulfilling job into their life’s work. Work that makes them feel alive and makes a difference. Whatever jobs these people held, or what careers they discovered, there are valuable and inspirational lessons for all of us in how they came to discover their own gifts and make the move to a career that was deeply rewarding. 

Caroline Boudreaux (left) in front of an orphanage she is building

In my book, I include people such as Mark Misage (an aspiring engineer who felt ambivalent about his major and bucks tradition to become a nationally recognized high school physics teacher), Caroline Boudreaux (a successful TV account executive, who at 29 had everything except happiness, and then found herself transforming the lives of thousands of Indian orphans by starting the Miracle Foundation), and Trevor Romain (who fought the odds of dyslexia and being told he had no writing and drawing talent as a child, to become a bestselling author, speaker and illustrator of children’s books). Those who make bold moves like these are Professional Destiny Heroes.

Inspirational stories like this are all around us, so let’s expand the conversation and share the stories of others who have made this journey.  If you know someone, please nominate them today. It could be you, any “everyday” person or someone famous. Just leave a brief comment in this blog explaining what your Professional Destiny Hero has done. Please include contact information.  I will be writing a blog post featuring these heroes every week or so, along with my other topics, and I’d love to include the most inspirational stories.

Think about how you’d answer the following questions (for you or another person you’re nominating) and include as much colorful detail as you can:

• Do you consider yourself to be doing your life’s work? How is it different from a “job?” (See earlier blog post about the differences between a job and life’s work).
• Why did you choose this profession? Did it require a change?
• What obstacles (doubts, fears, setbacks) did you have to overcome?
• What signs/encouragement did you get to show you were on the right path?
• Do you feel that you are making a difference?
• What have you learned and what advice do you have for others?

That’s it. I hope this will be a fun, rich experience that will help to inspire and motivate others. I look forward to hearing from you!

Filed under: Professional Destiny Heroes,Uncategorized

Tags: career change, career satisfaction, life changing, life's work, making a difference, personal growth, Professional Destiny, professional growth, purpose, self discovery, self improvement, vocation