I was asked the question once: “If money were no object, what would you be doing today?” The answer to this question may very well be what God’s purpose and calling is for your life. Many people are not happy because they are not living the life they were called to live.

I find that I am happiest when I am doing those things that I know He has purposed me to do.

What has he purposed you to do? Find out and begin doing them.

My philosophy about work is this: if you saw the movie “Mo Money” featuring the Wayans brothers, one of the brothers would always say “A job ain’t nothing but work.” That is true in the traditional sense of how the average person looks at a job. We all have to have one or some kind of regular income in order to survive. When working is about survival, you don’t have any fun. It’s just one of those things you gotta do and that’s what makes it hard. Yes, we all have to have a means of producing regular cash flow whether it be by a full time job we maintain or some other means. I know business owners who were in businesses just for the money and they were not happy, but because it paid the bills, they had to do it. That being the case, I believe if you’ve got to work, you might as well enjoy it. This is where you spend most of your time and the people you spend most of your time with. That’s my philosophy.

How do you just enjoy any job? Most of the time you aren’t getting paid enough to deal with what you have to deal with. Most likely the job you are in is not the profession you would care to be in. How many people go to school, get a degree and find a job in a totally different field & get stuck there. You took the job, because it paid the bills and put food on the table and kept a roof over your head. Been there, done that. But even still, you can find enjoyment in that job if you choose to. The key word being “choose.”

There are two ways to do this:
1. Start looking today to find the profession that you really want to be in. Don’t quit your present job. You will be happiest doing the thing that you find a passion for. If it is not possible to find a job in what you have a passion for, meaning those types of jobs don’t exist, you may have to do it in addition to your present job in your spare time. It may be a volunteer position you hold that gives you opportunity and or exposure to what it is that you really would like to end up doing as a career. I learned during some training I took, that whatever it is you are willing to do for free and not get paid for, this is most likely where your passion lies.

Money has never been a motivator for me. There are some jobs I just could not, would not do no matter how much money they paid me. In the past, people would always approach me with “ways to make money” and could not understand why I would not get excited or interested in the venture they were in especially since it made so much money. You won’t last long in something you are just doing for the money. I’ve seen it too many times. You have to have a purpose for everything you do. Life is about purpose and purpose, “your specific purpose” is what will motivate you. Purpose is what makes you stick. There came a time in my professional career where I absolutely knew just another job would not satisfy me. You will know when you are at that point. That leads me to the next point.

2. While a change may be desirable for many people, most people just aren’t in the position to make a decision to make a career change without putting some other things in place first. That being said, here is what you do: “MAKE A DECISION TODAY TO ENJOY YOUR PRESENT JOB.”

Here’s how: Life is all about choices, if you make one choice, your life goes a certain way; if you make another choice, it goes a different way. That is easier said than done, you may say. Remember, I told you that I’ve worked a number of different jobs and I liked all of them, except for one. But I decided to like those jobs. The job that I did not like, it was time for a change and so change worked out for me. I had a general philosophy about any job that I would apply for and that is, “I’m not working for the money.” I’m working for the experience. (I had to remember that when my daughter, who I din’t want to work, wanted to get a job. I didn’t want her to experience what I went through on the j-o-b; but she needed the experience.) Anyway, when I went for any job, I looked at the long term and what I had to gain in the future. I also had to be willing to help them to achieve some goals that they wanted to be able to accomplish in the future. It was a mutual exchange. I did not see myself as working “for” anyone. I saw myself with an objective. When I went to work each day, I saw myself as getting closer to that objective. It was my purpose that enabled me to enjoy what I do.

Each of us have a “God Given” talent or gift that we are supposed to use. When I was in Corporate Management, I’d tell my staff to find out what it is they were good at and begin doing it as often as they could. When you live according to the gift that God gave you, nothing else seems to matter, really. The reason is because you are being fulfilled by exercising your gift. What if you don’t know what your gift is? There are web sites and tests, etc. that will help you. But the best way is to start exposing yourself to something different. Take a class, join a club, pick up a hobby, etc.

You don’t have to use my example, but I always knew there was something great I was suppose to do (in search of purpose – the journey begins) but I could not articulate it. I always knew I was an artist, and I always saw myself in a studio. That is all I knew. I was good at a lot of things and it was frustrating, because I didn’t know what to choose, because doing only one thing just did not satisfy me. I began exposing myself to more of the things I thought I might like to do outside of my work life. I finally found it. It gave me great joy and contentment. I didn’t care what was going on at work because I had something else to look forward to after I got off work. It kept me going.

You say, yeah but I still gotta go to work . . . well here’s a solution for that. Try to incorporate some of your natural talents into your job. Maybe you like photography and you are pretty good at it. Volunteer to do all the company event photography. It will make going to work fun. Of course you still have to do the job you were hired to do, but at least you are on the path to enjoying your job. If you like writing or poetry, start a group at your job where those of you who like poetry get together and recite poetry or go out to Open Mic nights. These are just a couple of examples. One time I was a telephone Customer Service Rep and at the time I wanted to be a ‘Radio Talk Show Host.’ People would always tell me I had a great voice. So I used that time to practice my voice inflection. A lot of times I had to read policy & procedure right out of the manual to the customer and I’d take that opportunity to practice my “voice skills.” It was fun. Then I took it a step further to say that I would NOT have a dissatisfied customer. It became a game of mine to make the customer happy and to calm the customer down. I looked forward to getting an Irate customer. These were my, if you will, job “coping skills.” I was looking at the big picture of me being on the radio and that when I got there I’d be ready because I’d used my job as practice time. I didn’t mind going to work and it did not matter what job I had. I always found a way to enjoy and have a good time at work.

It will require first, a decision and possibly some separation from the “crowd” if you have one you are accustomed to hanging with. You may have to start taking lunch by yourself just so you can stay away from any complaining that may be going on because you will need to get your head right. Then it will require some planning. How can you incorporate what you enjoy doing into your present job? Create a written proposal and list the benefits to the company. If it is not possible to do so at your job, then do it part time. Hone your talents & skills to perfection. You are preparing yourself for an opportunity. You are creating your own reward.

You will begin to see a change in your attitude that you actually want to go to work. The issue is not whether to work on a job or what job to take, but what desired outcome do you want to occur as a result of accepting a certain job. You may be in a position or job situation that no matter what you seem to do, it’s just not good enough or it is just not working and it’s not because you haven’t tried. In that case, you have reached your maximum potential in that position and it is time to move on. But in moving on, work for purpose and not for money. That is how you have a rewarding career.