I am finding my passion
(Grab a seat, this is going to be a long one.)
I think it has been said that if you want to know where God is calling you to be, then you need to look at what things you are passionate about. I have developed over the years a certain passion that I just don’t hear people talk about much. I hear from people who are called to be missionaries or mothers or teachers or whatever, but never this: I feel called to be in the workplace. My husband even said to me the other day, “You talk about work with this excitement that I just don’t get. I couldn’t spend 2 minutes in your job without going crazy.” The thing is that it’s not about the job really. It’s kind of bigger than that. I feel that by being in the workplace and by working hard and having a positive attitude that I am somehow affecting other people in a good way. Perhaps changing their lives in a small, but good way.
My background is in accounting, but I have had a growing interest in human resources. Having worked for numerous small companies, I am used to wearing many hats, including the H.R. hat. And whereas before I used to just view it as “something that needs to be done”, I am now looking at it as an area I can really excel in. I see issues all around me and instead of sitting around complaining about it, I now have this overwhelming desire to tackle each issue head on and change things for the better. I have worked in office after office and they all had one thing in common: unhappy people. This really saddens me. People spend 40+ hours at these jobs each week, 2,080+ each year, and they should not have to dread going to work and be chomping at the bit to leave. I believe it’s possible to love your job, no matter what you’re doing.
I want to change the culture in the workplace.
I know that if employees are happy and motivated to do good work, the business will profit. And yes, that means dollars, moolah, the buckaroos. It will profit in many other ways, of course. The bottom line is the bottom line. We all work to make money so we can feed our families and hopefully have some left over to have a little bit of fun too.
I want to help businesses succeed.
I’m reading a book (still) called unChristian. It’s a great book, and there are some points the author makes that I can really relate to. For example:
- These young Christian leaders realize that they must display excellence in their craft. Their credibility as Christians depends on their ability to do a great job.
- These young leaders define faith as their driving passioin in life. And often this means they are confident enough in their faith that they do not have to keep restating their allegiance in robotic cliches. Sometimes they realize that because the people in their office or workplace have deep-seated defenses against Christians, these young leaders let their actions, not their association to the unChristian label, speak to their colleagues. And yet these young believers who are cracking the ranks of some of the highest positions of authority are careful to maintain a clear sense of their convictions. They are not hypersensitive and they are not compromising.
- The young leaders we have studied have a healthy respect for their peers and the differences of opinion and lifestyle these people represent. These young leaders relish the chance to break, with creativity and sensitivity, the unChristian stereotypes their peers hold.
- The motivation of these young leaders is to redeem rather than condemn the arenas in which they work. They realize it’s easy to be a critic but far more productive to offer meaningful ways to improve the business or institution. In today’s businesses and culture-shaping institutions, successful initiatives generate attention and further opportunities.
I want people to know not all Christians are flaky hypocrites.
I have a dream. A vision, really. It’s way out there, maybe decades away, maybe not. I see myself one day working as a workplace consultant. That sounds so… so blah. I would have to come up with a more creative title. But seriously, I want to help small businesses improve the culture and the vibe in their offices. For the employer I would be helping them get the most return on their biggest investment, their staff. For the staff, I would be helping to improve their quality of life. Everyone benefits when you have a work environment that people are happy to enter into each day. Creating that kind of environment is a lot easier said than done, so I want to learn how so I can teach others. I’ve learned much in the last 9 years as I’ve dabbled in these issues, but there is so much more I need to learn. I went to a human resources seminar today. I learned a lot, but mostly I learned that this is a definite passion of mine. Most passions are founded on the desire to make things better. This is where I want to make things better - the workplace.
EDITED TO ADD: Okay, that was really long. I am notorious for making a short story long, so here is my attempt at the opposite. In summary:
Here are the things I see in the workplace that get me fired up for change…
- Lack of communication
- Lack of integrity
- Gossip
- Lack of direction
- Inconsistency
- Laziness
- Poor attendance
- Inflexibility
- Disorganization
- Poor time management
What I want to do is teach people how to overcome these obstacles. All of these are problems I have had to personally tackle and it is rewarding to look back and see the personal growth I have made. Of course I haven’t conquered all of them entirely, but I have made progress and I understand that one must always have room to grow.
The problem I have with wanting to teach things is that I fear I need to be perfect in all the areas I’m teaching, or else no one will think I have any credibility. That’s not true, is it? I teach money management and my students know I make mistakes with money, yet they seem to still listen to what I say and even thank me after successfully applying the principles to their lives. I guess fear is the obstacle I need to overcome.
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September 22nd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I love this post, Mindy. For so many reason, really. I think it is perfectly OK to admit that you are not perfect but that you are better than you used to be. I don’t think there’s a person out there who wants to be perfect (deep down), but all of us want to be better than we used to be. I also love that you feel called to be in the workplace…it’s so counter-cultural of you. But, who else can minister to moms in the workplace, than a mom in the workplace…not everyone is called to be at home. I feel just as strongly about public school. We (meaning Rob and I) are called to put our kids in public school. I’m getting long-winded, I really just wanted to say “Good for you!”
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Hi, Mindy! I’ve been reading since last year’s Holidailies, and I just had to comment on this post. I went through this exact same mental/spiritual struggle and realization a few years ago, and am starting to go through it again after the birth of my first child in August. You’re right that there are some of us whose “mission field” is the workplace, and there are some of us who are called to support the sent instead of being sent.
Also, I moved into the type of field that you’re talking about. I used to do project administration and coordination for the IT world, and now I work in employee development and communication. It’s very rewarding, and I think the work I do (both project and long-term focused) helps people feel better about coming to work and better equipped to handle what happens in their work lives. It also gives me a lot of opportunities to interact with MANY different people, which can be a great challenge and a great witness (if I keep my own walk correct!). I’m encouraged to see another Christian, professional woman talk about these same ideas and thoughts, so I just had to share.