In times of transition it is important to consider:  What am I doing with my life?  Is the work I have been doing providing meaning and purpose as well as a living …or do I need to search for doing something different with forty hours of my weekly work life?

The theologian Frederick Buechner would have us consider our vocation, where we use our gifts to make a difference doing something we believe needs doing in the world.  He said, "Everyone should find a place where our deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet." At a time when we are asking ourselves where should I go and what should I do, Buechner’s words provide wise guidance for people in career change.

In the March 2002 issue of Vanity Fair Magazine, David Halberstam writes an article on the vocation of being a fireman, entitled "Of Fire and Men."  He digs into the lives of the 13 firemen in one firehall in New York City, 12 of whom died in rescue attempts at the World Trade Center disaster of September 11, 2001.

One theme that came out of the article was how much these men loved their work.  They served with passion to meet a real need in our society.  When Halberstam interviewed their families, he heard again and again, that these men felt being a firefighter was "the best job in the world" in spite of the danger, low pay, and long hours.  The core of their motivation is a pride in what they do…that it is meaningful to them and the people they serve.  One of the surviving firemen said, "We do it for people…we do it for the sense of rightness…we like doing it…we like the life…and we’re never ashamed of what we do."

An essential perk of being a fireman is the camaraderie, the uncommon code of excellence, and the sense of honour in doing something really important that attracts men and women to this field of work.  Halberstam states, "A great deal of the tradition and the cohesion within the department is family driven, generation after generation of the same families supplying men to the department."  He said, "These firemen were pulled toward the firehouse because their fathers and uncles were firemen and loved it, and because some of their happiest moments had come as children when they visited the firehouse and these big, gruff men made a fuss over them."  One fireman said, "You see your father doing it, and you’re proud of him. His life seems honourable and purposeful, and you see the richness of his friendships and the loyalty of these men to each other, and how, when you’re young, the firemen seem like additional uncles."

This insight into one vocation gives us a feel for what most of us are after in the world of work: maximizing our gifting to make a difference to meet a need.   If we brought our children (or nieces and nephews) to our present or past work situations, would they catch the passion and meaning from our work to want to emulate us and choose to follow in our vocational footsteps?  Is what you do and how you do it contagious to those around you?  What kind of legacy will you leave when you retire and leave the workforce?  Will you have mentored others to follow in your steps because of your passion and purpose?
Most of us know, by the fifth or sixth grade, what we love to do…and what we don’t.  However, we get side-tracked by practical concerns…so the person with artistic gifts takes up nursing or computer sales to make better money, sabotaging their true giftedness and settling for doing things that evoke little passion or sense of purpose.  In the end, we really don’t do these jobs very well, because we lack passion and purpose.  The person with gifting in art, who chooses to work in sales for the money, spends his or her time during sales meetings "doodling" artistic forms on paper and after work races home to work on art hobbies or attend art showings.

Others are using their gifts in the wrong work setting…either it is a toxic work environment that does not allow us to be at our best or the cause we work for doesn’t meet an essential need in the world.  Recently, I visited with an accountant who worked for an incompetent manager in a company that made vacuum cleaners.   This person, switched jobs to still do accounting, but to work for an organization that promoted the arts (a real passion of this person) and was led by management that was both competent and respectful of workers.  She said she felt so fulfilled as a result of this change, anchored in her passion for a cause that met a need that was worthy of her efforts.

If you find yourself identifying with this scenario, it’s time you pay attention to how you really were designed to live your life.  Use this time of transition to get in touch with who you are and seek to make that compatible with the work you do.  In short, plan to "do what you are" rather than "do what other people think you should do."  It will not be easy to make this shift to listen to your life, but if you will do this, you will find yourself doing things that give passion and meet a real need.  The world is full of needs…pick one that fills you with passion and requires your attention…and get busy doing it.  If you follow this approach, though you may have a number of jobs in your lifetime, you never will really be out of work again!