“Law school sucked all the life and creativity out of me.” “I’ve never been happy practicing law.” “I have never had a sense of purpose.” “I feel destined to do something great, but have no idea why or what.” “I work only for the money.”
These are statements from a young attorney – who in his last position had been sick for 6 months, “triggered initially by stress.” But a new “career opportunity” presented itself and he is now working in a prestigious position with a Fortune 500 company. Unfortunately, the sickness is returning, starting with the symptoms of a choking feeling and shortness of breath.
Ultimately, money is never enough compensation for investing our time and energy. There must be a sense of meaning, purpose and accomplishment. Anything that does not blend our Values, Dreams and Passions will cause us on some level to choke. On an ongoing basis, each of us have opportunities to “reassess what’s important.” A life well lived must go beyond just making a paycheck – even if it’s a very large one.
The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 5:10; “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.” If money is the only reward of your job, you will begin to see deterioration in other areas of your life – physically, emotionally, spiritually, and in your relationships. Need a new plan? Check out my 5-step plan for creating a change.
“That every man find pleasure in his work — this is a gift of God.” Ecc. 3:13
P. S. I have to add an interesting side note. Proper alignment in doing work we love does not mean the family will be eating rice and beans – in fact, the opposite is more often the case. Proper alignment releases not only a sense of peace and accomplishment, but money is likely to break in on you like an exploding dam.
