The Career Life Coaching Newsletter

In autumn, leaves fall; it is almost like the trees are shedding the old and going into the sleepy hibernation of winter, to emerge again in the spring with new growth and renewed life force. As people we need to "shed" old patterns of self-limiting beliefs, habits that have impeded our forward growth, and behaviors that no longer serve our highest good. When our work life becomes "old" and we feel worn out by our daily "grind" of a job, shouldn't we shed it too? Perhaps. …Or, perhaps we can shift our perspective and learn to love the work we are with. We all have a need to be fulfilled by our jobs and to do meaningful work.

How do you define "meaningful work?" I ask this question of my clients. In response, they frequently point out examples of humanitarians, scientists working on cures for deadly diseases, social workers, teachers and others whom, by their vocations, are visibly being of service. But what about the guy who fixes your car so you can safely transport your family, the engineers who ensure you have electricity, the farmers who grow your food? All render service and if you asked them, they'd likely consider their work be of service to the needs of society.

Then there is this other element that we tend to overlook, "the ripple effect." You know, toss a pebble in a still pond and watch how the ripples generate out in all directions. How can we know where it will touch the far away shoreline? We may never see where every ripple or wave goes or what it moves in its path. Consider how the work you are already doing may be the pebble that starts the water moving. The work you do may not seem like it is meaningful but the impact of the job you do might be enormous! Perhaps the person you effect the most is a stranger you may never meet. Do you really know how many people benefit from your work? How do your actions trigger ideas, discussions, or help others to become connected? Do you do something that helps another person to offer better service to yet another? How far do the ripples you create radiate?

"There are many lines of reasoning a person can use to discover (their) higher purpose, the wider benefit of their work. . . . Look at this tape recorder. I think at least a few thousand people had their hand in the making of this. And each one made a contribution. . . . In the same way, there are many thousands of people who provide the food we eat, the clothes we wear. An individual worker on an assembly line somewhere may not directly see the benefit of his or her hard labor, but through a little analysis they can realize the indirect benefits to others and be proud of what they do, and have a sense of accomplishment. Workers all over the world are bringing happiness to others, even though they may not see this. . . . They are members of the human society that they are living in. And also, they should recognize that by actively participating in this workforce, in some way they are acting out their role as a good citizen in their society, a productive member of society. And in this way, they can realize that indirectly they are making a contribution to the entire society. So if they think along these lines, then they can see some purpose in what they are doing that is beyond just providing a means of livelihood for themselves. That alone can be enough to give them a sense of purpose, a sense of calling".

---- an excerpt from "The Art of Happiness at Work"
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Here are some questions for you to ponder about your work:

How do you define your "life purpose?" It is easy to get mired down and frustrated, thinking that you must find a specific or perfect job in order to fulfill your destiny. Often clients come to me while in the process of trying to identify the ideal work they are "supposed" to be doing to fulfill their purpose. Defining one's true calling is a process, not a job title. The occupation may not yet exist that would be ideal, or we may have to create it. Or just maybe, the work we feel called to isn't how we earn a wage, it is an avocation. It is important to separate our Life Purpose from the actual job we perform. Consider life purpose as the "inner urge to give our gifts away" and vocational calling as the means to do it. The work is what we do, the actions we take to express our unique bundle of talents and abilities. In the course of our lives, we may have many jobs and multiple careers. The key is to be in touch with our purpose, to bring our gifts out into the world in whatever way we can.

When I was a junior in high school I dated a senior named Erik for a couple of months. At the time, I was starting to look into which colleges to apply for, while he was trying to decide which of the ones he had been accepted to he was going to attend. We had met through the choir we sang in and had a common interest in theater. He knew he wanted a career in the arts - probably as an actor - and I knew I loved the arts but wasn't sold on the idea of acting as a career.

Erik convinced me to audition for a couple of shows, and I landed roles in a few musicals at the High School. I also realized the incredible time demands of preparing for and putting on a production. I decided to consider the other skills and interests I had, and came up with a plan to go into "arts administration." As I looked through my college brochures, I realized I had sort of invented an ideal job; there were very few schools that could offer better than a double major in theater and business. Despite the apparent lack of a market for my idea, I kept thinking that the Overture Center would be opening up the year that I graduated from college - a perfect time to move back home and get a great job in the field. Surely by then they would need someone with that skill set.

I shared my ideas with Erik. He liked what I told him and said he might consider it himself - if the acting thing didn't work out. He ultimately decided to go to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota - where they just happened to have a new arts administration program. Erik and I broke up a few months before he left for school and lost touch for the most part.
Now, five years later we decided to get together over Thanksgiving weekend and catch-up. As we took a Thanksgiving-day jog through the arboretum, Erik told me about the path he had taken after we parted ways. He graduated from college last year, having completed his degree in Arts Administration. He now works for the Looking Glass Theater Company in Chicago as their primary administrative person. Erik is incredibly happy (and busy!) in his work, and already people are bidding to have him help develop a children's theater company there.

To this day he laughs at "stealing my idea," but I couldn't be happier that he took it and ran with it. It turned out to be a much better idea for him than for me. Six years ago I never would have guessed that an idea of mine would lead a friend to his true calling. But then, we never know how the ripples we create will change the path of one floating leaf or the surface of an entire lake.