“What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver’s question calls us to wake up and live intentionally, connected to the natural world. Arriving at this “plan for your one life” and living it to the fullest is paramount.
Some would call that our inner sense of purpose or mission as we journey from life to death. Others ask, “How can my inner purpose lead to what I choose to do for a living?”
Our 21st century culture encourages us to pursue work with passion, do what you love. You know, find out what you most enjoy doing and see if you can make money at it.
How the passion test played out for me. Some years ago I took time between jobs to explore areas I was passionate about but had never really acted on to determine if one or more might be viable as careers: working out-of-doors, engaging with the natural environment; carpentry and remodeling; stock market investing; spirituality and ministry; and landscape and wildlife photography. One challenge with passions is that they can be tough to weigh or prioritize, so I looked into all five.
I met with individuals working in each of the fields. I shared my enthusiasm and relative experience and received affirmation that I could be a good candidate going forward. In most cases, additional training would be required for entry into the field, ranging from financial exams like the Series 7 to obtaining a graduate degree in theology. The pre-reqs all seemed doable (I had passion for these fields after all!) but as I went further down each path, in every field I found an apparent roadblock.
There’s something to be said for trying lots of things to find a great career! From my exploration, however, arriving at a best-fit career is not just a matter of identifying your passion and connecting the dots—it’s more a multi-faceted adventure. A passion seems to be at best a starting point in finding vocation, not an end pursuit.
What you love can also be expressed as an avocation somewhere else in your life other than your job. I’m energized by advancing the caliber of my amateur travel photography, volunteering to abate invasive species in my neighborhood and hiking/skiing every chance I get. I also enjoy classes in topics like Design Your Own Theology, and building community with my neighbors, men’s group and fellow basketball players.
Beyond passions to mission. If passions are to have any career relevance, they need to be reality-checked: what do you enjoy doing and are really good at? At least two of the passions I explored revealed I was not good enough to succeed professionally. And, to raise our sights above the merely personal, what we can do by our presence and our caring actions to make this world a better place? Finding and pursuing a sense of purpose in this way can be more realistic and sustainable than following passions.
Some years ago, I realized I was naturally adept at connecting individuals with resources or people who could help them advance their lives, and that gave me a special joy. There followed a process to craft a mission statement: I bring inspiration and connections to help others reach their highest potential.
When let go by my last employer, rather than return to conventional employment I wondered if I could make it on my own as a counselor. A group course in starting your own business provided grounding, strategy and support. What ultimately made it successful however, turned out to be taking the risk to live my mission, effectively providing inspiration and connections to individuals in career transition to help them find and land new opportunities.
These days I experience un-pressured time with clients I never felt as an employee. I coach, encourage and help people make connections that are valuable to them. For me, this is not so much work with passion, as expressing a larger passion for this “wild and precious life.”
Dave Gallison, MS, LPC
dave@gallisonconsulting.com
www.gallisonconsulting.com
503-704-7796
Dave specializes in a short term, action-oriented approach to providing career management solutions to clients seeking to choose, change or advance their careers and reach their professional and personal potential. His unique strength as a career counselor is preparing you for informational interviews and directly assisting you in gaining access to employed contacts within desired organizations.
