Tag: purpose
Ever knew what you loved to do as a child, but then lost track of it as an adult? Here’s a story of rediscovery. It’s a reminder that sometimes finding your professional passion may simply be a matter of remembering what you love and taking the leap of faith to do it. Today’s entry is the compelling story of Shelley Seale, one of the first nominations submitted as a Professional Destiny “Hero.” It’s a story of her journey from childhood writer, to real estate broker, and back to writer—as a successfully published author.
“I started my career in real estate, although I definitely had a passion for writing long before that. Because I was the first child for my parents and grandparents, everyone read to me. I loved hearing the words and stories. My earliest memory of writing was around age eight when I wrote dorky little books and published them. It was my hobby. My great grandmother lived in a nursing home and I would go to there and hear the most amazing stories. For example, one woman, probably in her eighties, had been a prima ballerina in the Moscow ballet. She told me about her fascinating life, and others would as well. I wrote each person’s story on a pad of paper, then would illustrate and bind it, and bring my newly published “book” to my new friend in the nursing home.
All this time, it never occurred to me that writing was a practical choice for a career. I couldn’t see myself making a living as a writer, so I never really considered it.
When I was in college, I started working in a real estate firm. One of the positions I wanted required me to have a real estate license, so I got one. I then launched into a career I would have for the next 15 years without a whole lot of thought. Looking back I would say that real estate chose me as a profession… I didn’t really choose it. I was making pretty decent money so I stayed in it.
I started writing articles about buying and selling homes for real-estate journals. People began to contact me and ask to re-use what I had written. For example, I wrote an article about how to ease the trauma for children in a move, and a mental-health-related website contacted me wanting to license the article for their publication. It was validating for me and it reawakened my love for writing.
It got so that I would rather write articles about real estate than actually show houses! When I started realizing that I enjoyed writing more than managing my business, I began to ask myself, “Why should I spend hours of my time doing what I’m not passionate about when I could do I AM passionate about?”
Writing was what inspired me, the other was just work… I considered it a chore. I knew I not only could write, but that I should. Otherwise it would be another 40 years of doing something I didn’t love. There are people out there who spend 40 or 50 years doing jobs they hate—I didn’t want to be one of them.
So I ramped up and began actively contacting publications. I first wrote about real estate because that’s what I knew, then started branching out. Soon I was writing about other topics such as owning a business, small business management and entrepreneurship—which were also things I knew. Then I expanded to write about other industries—technology, healthcare, travel, education. Over a period of several years I phased-in writing and phased-out real estate, until I finally flip-flopped careers. It took about five years.
I got involved with non-profits and wrote an article about Caroline Boudreaux for Austin Women’s magazine. This led me to India where the idea for my recent book, The Weight of Silence, was born.
What were the obstacles I faced? I could make twice as much money in real estate as I do now, but I would be doing something I only tolerated, not what I loved. To me it’s worth it.
The benefit I’ve realized is even greater. I’m no longer compartmentalizing my life. Before it felt like the work I did was partitioned from who I was as a person. For so many people it’s: here’s your job, here’s your family time, here’s your hobby – they are compartmentalized as if they have no relation to each other. Now my life is integrated. My work doesn’t feel like work, because it’s part of who I am, not simply what I do. I have more of a focus on things that matter.
My advice to others wanting to make this change is to stay dedicated and persevere. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a commitment to pursue your passion. At times it would have been a lot easier to stay in real estate but I wouldn’t have been as happy.”
Have your own story of a career change that tapped into your gifts and allowed you to do what you love? Send in a comment and share your experience with others.
August 26, 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!
August 7, 2009
Finding your purpose and practicing it in your profession is an immensely gratifying and productive experience. But, how do you know if you are living your Professional Destiny? Here are nine indicators that will tell you:
The following passage is an excerpt from Professional Destiny.
You are engaged. When you’re doing what you love, you become passionate about your work and lose track of time. You feel alive, energetic and creative. There is simply not enough time in the day to do what you can’t wait to do.
You feel on track. Things come naturally. Work seems easy, though it may not for others—because you’re exercising your gift. Your level of satisfaction is your true guidance system.
You feel honest. You’re being yourself. You’re pursuing a path that is in line with your values and interests, and you’re living in true authenticity with yourself.
You become lighter. Being true to your values allows you to shed a huge burden—the burden of maintaining a facade. You instantly experience a sense of relief as the weight is lifted.
You are committed. You clearly set your vision and do what you say you will. You may not know how you are going to get there or when, but you know that you will.
You operate with compassion. Your sense of individual freedom gives you a new sense of community. Your interactions become genuinely rewarding and you create true connections with others.
You make a contribution. What you are doing is meaningful and, while you may be well compensated, your driving force is contribution above money.
You are fulfilled. When you fully express your gifts, talents and creativity, you feel a deep-seated sense of satisfaction. Being on the path to reaching your full potential just feels great.
You make a difference. Your work positively impacts others in a most meaningful way. You’re confident that you’re leaving a legacy, and you’re gratified by that knowledge.
August 3, 2009
“Those who recognize their calling early in life and build on it are the lucky ones. Those who gain enough strength or independence to seek a more satisfying path in later life are also lucky. And though they may not feel so fortunate at the time, those compelled to seek change due to sheer discomfort [or change in circumstance] are lucky as well—because despite their own hesitation, events have pushed them in the direction of their true purpose.” – Excerpt from Professional Destiny
In this economy, many are losing their jobs — but for some it may become one of those “best thing that ever happened to us” moments. Although it may not feel like it at the time, being let go could be just the push we need to make a change to finding a profession that is far more satisfying and rewarding. It is a time to reflect on what it is we really love to do and find a career that fully utilizes our natural gifts. So many of us have been in unfulfilling jobs and by viewing a setback as a new potential opportunity, we can use this moment as a “course correction” to reintroduce joy and creativity into our profession. We can move from a “job” (something we do primarily to get a paycheck) to our life’s work (a mighty undertaking that challenges us, taps into our creative energy and awakens our spirit). In the long run, a “setback” can lead us to the career we were born for and make us far more engaged, productive and fulfilled.
Anyone can make a change at any time, whether by choice or not. The current economy is causing many people to take a fresh look at what they are doing. Losing a job might be a tough pill to swallow, but perhaps just the medicine we need to explore what it is we really want to do. This may be the perfect time to rethink our goals, as well as the gifts we were born with, so that we can leave behind something that is less than fulfilling to pursue a new career that energizes us and makes us feel alive. And, if we recognize the opportunity, chances are we will look back and realize that the thing we so feared, was actually one of the best things to ever happen to us.
July 21, 2009
I received an excellent question as a comment on an earlier blog post about the difference between the a job vs. your life’s work. This contributor asked me to further define the terms, job, profession, work and career. It is true that they are often used interchangeably and mean different things to different people. So, it can be confusing. I’ll start by how the dictionary defines them:
Job
1) a post of employment; full-time or part-time position, 2) anything a person is expected or obliged to do; duty; responsibility.
Work
1) employment, as in some form of industry, esp. as a means of earning one’s livelihood
Profession
1) a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science; 2) any vocation or business.
Career
1) an occupation or profession, esp. one requiring special training, followed as one’s lifework
In my book, Professional Destiny, I expand these definitions to reflect the level of satisfaction we feel in what we do. The terms job and work (with a small “w”) are what we do for the primary motivation of earning a living. They can feel like an obligation, a duty or a responsibility. Oftentimes they are too small for our spirit.
I introduce the terms “Life’s Work” (with a capital W) and the “Career You Were Born For” to reflect Work that completely taps into our creative energy and reawakens our spirit. When we are so engaged, we feel energized, challenged and productive. We feel that we are making a difference to someone or something—and that feels good. Once we start doing this Work, the urgency is bigger than us and we feel that there is simply not enough time in the day to do what we can’t wait to do. And, while we may be well compensated, our driving force is purpose and contribution above money. When we are engaged in this way, we are pursuing our Professional Destiny.
For more detailed information on discovering and living your Professional Destiny, you may order the book at: http://tiny.cc/prodestiny
July 15, 2009
One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice. – Mary Oliver
I had the good fortune of having Paul Hawken’s Commencement Address to the University of Portland (May 3, 2009) forwarded to me by a friend, and I read it last night. Wow, it knocked my socks off! Paul said he was asked to give a talk that was, “direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling, and graceful.” It was.
Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist, and author. At the age of 20, he chose to dedicate his life to sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. He talked about immense environmental challenges that we’re facing on our planet, yet he also talked about humanity’s willingness to restore, re-imagine and reconsider. People around the globe who are forming together to work on behalf of people they don’t even know.
“When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse. What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world.”
In the past few years as I have researched and written about people who have chosen to pursue their Professional Destiny – people who opt to use their gifts and make a difference. I can’t help being both inspired and immensely relieved to find yet another person like Paul Hawken and the vast movement of others, who have decided to follow their passion and make a contribution. All over the world, there are ordinary people who have chosen to become extraordinary. It takes conviction, strength, passion and a lot of guts, but once you’re on the journey, your life becomes so satisfyingly rich, you would never choose to go back.
See Paul Hawken’s Commencement address at: http://www.paulhawken.com/paulhawken_frameset.html
July 10, 2009
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