- Choose work you love.
- Commit to competence.
- Invest in training.
- Chart a course of action.
- Set goals.
- Cultivate a problem-solving mentality.
- Build and nurture support systems.
- Monitor your progress.
- Rechart your course when necessary to take advantage of new experiences and learning.
- Keep setting new goals - and keep on truckin'.
A computer programmer in Chicago with an advanced case of muscular dystrophy had limited mobility in his arms and legs and needed to use a motorized wheelchair. But there was nothing wrong with his mind, which functioned beautifully. While others believed he should be grateful just to earn a steady pay check, he harbored larger ambitions. He may have been restricted physically, but he wasn't willing to confine himself intellectually or emotionally. He knew he wanted to bring his work life closer to his real values and interests, but struggled with whether to place his battle with muscular dystrophy at the center of his life.
To do so, he could have sought employment with public agencies or companies that served the needs of the disabled. Or, he could have pursued job opportunities where his disability would be a strength as much as a liability, perhaps in recruiting or training others with disabilities. In a surprising and courageous move, though, he decided not to place his disability at the center of his work life. It was a short but important step from there to teaching, where he discovered that he could use his excellent communication skills to teach computer programming to college students.
The programmer exemplifies Booker T. Washington's remark; "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles that one has overcome while trying to succeed." The programmer is doing what he wants: achieving in spite of his disability. This accomplishment is likely to bring him deep satisfaction.
Archimedes believed that you need only two things to move the world: a lever and a place to stand. Your lever is yourself: the sum total of your personality, talents, interests and values. Vocationally speaking, your place to stand is wherever you decide to plant your feet in the world of work: whether it be in the courtroom, laboratory or classroom, on stage or in front of the computer. It is the place where you feel comfortable to practice your craft, exercise your skill or demonstrate your leadership abilities.
It can be in an organization or outside of one, in conversation with friends and colleagues, or at home with the people you love. Sharing your work with others is part of the mystery and the joy.
WHAT'S IN A MISSION?
If the notion of "mission" at first sounds too religious or impractical, think again. For your work to be meaningful, you must have a vocational mission that reflects and expresses your spirituality. Like the urge of plants toward sun and water, human beings have an overarching need for growth that's expressed through a variety of spiritual urges.
In Passion for Life (1991, New York: Button Books), authors Muriel and John James outline a simple, yet elegant, framework that should help you determine whether spiritual components are missing from your work. Formulate your mission accordingly:
The urge to live involves basic survival needs, and more. It's expressed through your desire to be as healthy as possible. The urge to be free-physically, emotionally and intellectually - is another fundamental force within the human spirit. But it takes courage to stand up for your freedom and live in accordance with your personal needs and beliefs.
The urge to understand is also universal. It makes you search for knowledge that can give you greater control over your environment and your life. When you don't understand the factors that affect your life, you tend to feel helpless and confused. The urge to create activates unique ways of thinking, being and doing through goals that express your originality. If you lack creative outlets, you can become angry, indifferent or unproductive.
The urge to enjoy is as natural as the urge to live. It can push you to search for happiness and pleasure in everyday things. When you bring a playful spirit to your activities, what you do feels less important than how you do it.
The urge to connect creates a genuine bond of caring with others. It's one of the motivations behind a strong desire to serve. The urge to transcend is defined as the ability to reach up and out - to move beyond the ordinary limitations of human existence. It's a fundamental component of nearly every religious system and many religious impulses.
