“In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is power to do it.”—Marianne Williamson
Confucius once said, “Choose a career you love and you will never work another day in your life.” If you think about this, what a different experience we could have in our work lives. If we actually loved the work we were doing, it wouldn’t seem so much like our traditional concept of work (drudgery/pain). Think about it! How many jobs have you had that you dreaded going to? What are some of the differences between a job, a career, and your life’s work? Let’s define it.
A job is something you get paid to do (money is the primary motivation). It is easy to perform because there is not much challenge, and you will eventually find other work to do. It may or may not fully engage you. Spirit may or may not be present.
A career is something you get paid to do that is viewed as a profession (status or identity is the motivation). It may provide more challenge, but after a while, you may get burned out, and choose to stop doing it. It may or may not fully engage you. Spirit may or may not be present.
Your life’s work is something you do whether you get paid for it or not (your soul’s need for expression is the motivation). There is plenty of challenge and personal meaning. You will always want to do it. It definitely fully engages you. Spirit is present.
Remember that a job can get you started toward your life’s work. In fact, jobs provide the very important element of exposure to different kinds of industries. Take for example, a woman who started out working in a department store as a clerk, who moved into a management position, and finally created her life’s work as an independent contractor who trains others in customer service skills.
To find out if your spirit is working, take note of the statements that sound like you in your present work environment:
- Using your life force
- Sharing innate gifts and talents
- Doing work that is meaningful and fulfilling
- In service to other human beings
- Your inner light shines
- You are standing up for something you believe in
- World benefits from what you do
- You have a unique way of doing it
- Creativity, passion, and purpose are present
