9: 3 Ways to Look at Work

This thing called the Great Resignation is gaining more and more attention in the United States. People have resigned from jobs in record numbers in this year alone, with one reason being that people are not treating work as the Ultimate anymore. At one point, not too long ago, generations before had their minds set on securing a job. That was the ultimate goal: job security. People in this current society are more invested in developing and prioritizing other parts of their life. 

More value is placed on purpose these days. People look at what they are missing out on or tolerating and aren’t willing to make certain sacrifices for work without purpose. Such work and sacrifices no longer seem worth it. Similarly, you know your calling is bigger than your job or career. How can we look for ways to support a calling through a job or career?

We’re going to discuss three ways to look at your paid work. Ideas in today’s conversation mainly pull from research by Dr. Robert Bellah and Dr. Amy Wrzesniewski. Dr. Bellah was a sociologist in the 1950s who suggested that work has three orientations, and Dr. Wrzesniewski, from Yale, conducted a study that confirmed these orientations. The three orientations are job, career, and calling. Identifying this will help as a guide for discovering where you are at, and where you can go. 

Each orientation has distinctions attached to an award. Most times we are connected to a job for material gain. In a career, we pursue a goal with the long-term in mind. Work in calling means we can live being who we are, and the reward is fulfillment. At the most basic, we really should consider work that comes from an intrinsic place, like calling. You don’t have to quit to live out your calling, but know that you have the potential to turn work into a calling more than you think.

Time stamps:

  • [00:20] - I talk about feedback I received about last week’s episodes. Let’s dive deeper into the relationship between work and calling.
  • [02:50] - Your next brave step may look different, but you should have an idea of the big picture.
  • [04:23] - Work can be viewed as three orientations: a job, a career, or a calling.
  • [06:08] - Job, career, and calling give us three different rewards.
  • [09:07] - What is the reward of viewing work as a calling?
  • [11:34] - If you were to identify your work, which orientation relates most?
  • [13:39] - It’s okay to work a job, as long as it’s under this one condition.
  • [15:54] - How do you turn work into a calling?
  • [17:20] - Here are quick tips you can take action on to shift your work towards calling.
  • [20:11] - I wrap up the quick tips that help you make an actionable shift from work to calling.
  • [23:08] - We’re more likely to work on our calling when we participate in relationships that fuel our efforts.
  • [24:34] - Use the tips in this episode to decide what could be your next brave step.

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