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Any Job is an Honorable Job
Seeing your job as an honorable job, adds more meaning and
peace to your life. Also, seeing the honor in what you do
now, creates an ideal foundation upon which a career change
can be built.
At fifteen, my first job was that of a waitress at a local
truck stop. One day, back then, I happened to meet the
elementary principal of my past. She mentioned she had heard
I was working part time and wondered at what.
Shamefacedly I mumbled, "Oh, I am just a waitress." That
wise, old, stern headmistress said to me, "Teresa, any job
is an honorable job. Don't you ever forget it!" And I never
have.
Of course, seeing the honor in our job is not always an easy
task.
Societal Values Demean our Work & Worth
Our societal values make it difficult to honor so-called
menial jobs. Our sick societal values esteem big bank
accounts, fancy houses, new cars, extended paid vacations,
prestigious jobs, beautiful, youthful looks, and perfectly
cloned behaviors. These societal values wring the worth from
the vast majority of hard-working folk.
Create your own values by looking for the honor and worth in
your work now. Any honest day's work is honorable and
worthy. Finding the honor and goodness in everything you do
builds dignity and honor within you.
Even if you wanted to career change but instead returned to
the field you had hoped to leave, remember, there is huge
honor and courage in this. Taking care of your family and
responsibilities does not mean you are a failure. It means
you are a responsible, caring human being.
If you cannot find any worth in your current job, that lack
of worth will likely haunt your career change. Before
jumping jobs, seeking fulfillment elsewhere, consider your
current job as sacred work.
Your Job as Sacred Work
Monastic writers have described their day-to-day, menial
work as the path to holiness. Your job is much more than a
means to pay bills. Try envisioning your job as your
ministry.
As Martin Luther King Jr. advised, “Whatever your
life work is, do it so well that no one else could do it
better. If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep
streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare
wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets
so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to
say, here lived a great street sweeper.” Turn your work into
a form of personal and spiritual growth by doing it
exceedingly well, as one form of service to the world.
I have a very health conscious, spiritual friend who, at
this moment in her life, sells lottery tickets, liquor and
cigarettes in a liquor store to help pay her bills. Rather
than bitterly resent her position, she has made it her
ministry to create a positive atmosphere, giving kindness
and care to every human being that passes through those
doors. Not surprisingly, wonderful little miracles occur
often. (And yes, she is also doing the groundwork to create
new employment.)
Rarely are things what they seem to be on the surface. In
every relationship, in every job, and in every life
experience there is much more going on than meets the eye.
"The three foundations of spirituality:
hearth as altar,
work as worship
and service as sacrament."
A Compilation of Triads, Volume I John F. Wright
We are always being called to see the bigger picture and to
grow nearer to our soul. To find more meaning within the
work you do now, query your soul as to the larger view.
Ask Your Soul
Try sitting quietly for awhile. Practice letting go of
passing thoughts while lightly noticing your breath coming
in and going out. Relax your body and mind. Ask your soul,
"What is my work really about. What work am I really doing
here?"
When I had grown weary of facilitating the same career
assessment program for nine years, I sat and asked my soul
this same question. Within the whisper of my small, still
voice I heard the truth, "You are bringing light and hope to
people."
The work I was doing was not about self assessment tools or
job search but about bringing light and hope to people. From
that day onward the program was no longer repetitive for me
and as I gained more depth and meaning in my work, so did
the program.
When we see our work as sacred and honorable, we feel good
about what we are doing and who we are. This goodness spins
off into our family, workplace and ultimately the world.
This also, builds an ideal foundation for career change, if
we so desire. From honoring ourselves and our current work
we can then successfully begin taking small steps towards
change.
Find support, insight and inspiration for your career and
lifework path. Teresa; writer, facilitator and mentor has
helped thousands of people navigate their lifework path with more acceptance and peace. Be gentle with yourself and enjoy
where you are today!
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