I've spent a good number of years waiting for the phone to ring in order to do the work I love. When the phone rings with a writing assignment, I'm jazzed and all is well. When the phone doesn't ring, I feel powerless around the writing work. Much of the work I love has fallen in my lap -- it's come easily. I like that. No risk involved -- no sticking my neck out. Less responsibility -- hey, they came to me! I do other work to keep money coming in, but when it comes to the creative work I truly love, I'm waiting for the next job to fall from the sky -- waiting for that ship to pull into my harbor. I love those 'Aha' moments, when the full story is hot off some heavenly press and flung on your front stoop. This just in... I've been waiting for someone else to give me permission to do the things I love.
Marianne Williamson has this great audio lecture on 'Work and Career' where she says (using acting as an example), "If you want to act -- act! Do it with a community group. Volunteer! Do it wherever you can." The same applies to writing or building or tabulating or cooking or whatever you love to do. We get so particular about the form the work takes and the conditions under which we do it.
The only thing standing between me and the work that I love is a belief --an erroneous thought that I can't do it unless someone else tells me I can. I'm writing this blog, it feels wonderful, and I didn't have to get the 'go-ahead' from anybody but myself. I get it.
When it comes down to it, it's about valuing our gifts and sharing them wherever we can -- without fear. It's about owning our talent and knocking on every door in order to use that talent. We need to make money -- there's no doubt about that. But if we frame the job hunting process as 'sharing our talents' rather than just 'finding a job', I wonder how that might change the outcome in our mission to do the work we love.
The beautiful thing is we're all wired with different strengths. We all have our gifts to share to help make this world go 'round. Marianne Williamson also says in her lecture on 'Career', "If you've got something to say -- there's someone who needs to hear you say it."
Years ago, my mother worked for the Center for Continuing Education of Women at the University of Michigan. Their mission was to help women returning to school or the workforce after years of being stay at home moms. The primary advice they gave at that time was to use your "work" skills and talents in your volunteer activities. Nobody needs to know you weren't paid for it unless you tell them.
ReplyDeleteI've always remembered this advice and, as a consequence, have done more "pro bono" newsletters than I care to count, but at least I was writing: honing my craft, improving my skills and meeting regular deadlines.