Over the last week or so I’ve been interviewing people.
Nurse. Artist. Professor. Elementary School Teacher. Museum Curator. Development Director. Boutique owner. Even a YouTube Creator.
Obsessed with how we identify ourselves and individual origin stories these interviews were more deep conversation than interrogation. Give and take is important when pursuing the meaning of life and why we do the work we do.
What surprised me most wasn’t that every person told me how much they liked working. Nor that they each told me how important it is to continue to learn - even with a PhD. The “surprise” is how each person described the necessity to reflect early and often what price is worth their soul.
Kerstin Landwer, the Assistant Director and Director of Sales at Visit Joplin (MO) said, “Take the job that feeds your soul. Make sure you have a foundation of critical thinking and don’t worry that you’ve missed the boat.” She added that she’s never wanted to be nor considered herself a sales person - just someone who prioritizes relationships and building community.
Julia Fuhr in New Jersey always knew she wanted to be in the medical field. “I wanted to be a doctor, but I ended up having to drop Latin in school At the time you needed that to get into med school, so I decided to become a nurse.” Her brother had been sick when they were growing up, and she saw how helpless her parents were amid all the diagnoses and treatments. When he passed away she was even more determined to make sure that no one in her family was ever that helpless in the face of illness again.
“It’s who I am.” she says. Her career path led from the ICU to being a patient educator, and while she built lasting relationships with her “students” - mothering them through dialysis, she saw how nursing fulfills her innate drive to take care of others.
It’s not all rainbows and applesauce. Julia shared stories of lousy leaders and times when the nursing shortages made it hard to work safely. “I’d get in the car to head to work and ask, ‘What am I supposed to learn today?’ Because you have to have faith that you’ll be where you’re meant to be.”
Holly, a boutique owner told me that her relationships, with family and community and particularly the Holy Spirit are at the core of not only her life, but her business as well. “I have to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit that let me know slow growth is important as is sticking to my values.” Her boutique is focused on ethically sourced and made objects from around the world. The focus is on ensuring that artisans are paid a fair price for their goods and that she provides opportunities for the community to not only gather but to learn about ways consumers can care for our brothers and sisters around the world.
Embarking on a career (or business) is a practice of putting one foot, directly in front of the other. A true test of the ability to believe a net will appear if you take the leap. The second guessing can be debilitating. (Ask me how I know). There have been more that few days when I wanted to tuck my tail and run to the closest shop to find a “job.” Which by the way is a perfectly GOOD thing to do if you find yourself without the ability to pay your bills!
Just then I overhear two grad students in line at the local illy coffee shop, “Of course you can do this! There’s no one else as capable!”
There are little reminders of your unique skills and talents everywhere. And without a doubt, you CAN do it - find the job that fills you up; lead the team; volunteer for the community - all while listening to the still small voice inside that just might be the Divine pointing you to the simple path to fulfilling your purpose.
Big hugs,
Peggie