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The Lost Vocation
This article is based on my ebooks Nine Magic Keys to Career Freedom
and Your Intuitive Move.
Some people reserve the word "vocation"
for religious calling. Contemporary career guides encourage us
to think of a "life purpose" that guides and gives
meaning to a life, regardless of career. See, for example, Mark
Albion's book, Making a Life,
Making a Living.
Many people speak of being "called" to a career. There
is a sense of "inevitability," that, "I was meant
to do this." Some say, "This feels right."
Self-help books, career coaches and counselors are available
to help people who want to discover their sense of purpose. In
reality, all any of us can do is stir the pot: create an environment
where vocation can be discovered and grown.
Whatever the cause...
It can be more difficult to deal with losing a much-loved career
that gave meaning to a life. Sometimes the vocation can be taken
away when a job is lost or a market disappears.
Often, however, people feel no external push out the door. They
just realize, sadly, that they no longer love what they are dong.
Or they no longer believe their work has value. And, they ask,
what next?
It's not burn-out...
Losing a vocation is not the same as "burning out."
Burnout, a well-defined psychological condition, results when
people feel they are giving more to their work than they are
getting back. They begin to see clients as ungrateful and undeserving.
Burnout requires healing: deeper personal relationships, creativity,
and time off. A lost vocation cannot be healed. It may return
in a different form but people must recognize that it is a real
loss that will be grieved.
Finding the way home
There is no simple formula for dealing with the lost vocation,
but I suggest these four steps.
First, not everyone experiences severe grief symptoms -- sleeplessness,
self-destructive actions, loss of appetite -- but if you do,
see a licensed therapist or grief counselor.
Second, when you are ready, introduce new actions and activities
into your life. In the early stages, do not worry about finding
a new vocation. Just begin to act.
You may want to keep a journal or embark on a creativity program,
such as The Artist's Way. You may enter a temporary setting,
such as the Peace Corps or a university degree program.
Third, honor what you lost. A part of you will always reside
there. A dancer-turned-business-student uses the discipline or
dance to excel in her studies. A teacher-turned-flight attendant
can handle restless passengers.
Fourth, realize you have a wonderful gift: the capacity to find
meaning in life and work. Begin working towards a new future,
realizing that one day you will be caught up in a new adventure.
Your new vocation will come as a surprise, perhaps when you give
up looking. It won't be the same but you will feel rewarded,
happy, fulfilled and stronger.
If you are losing one vocation and seeking
another, I invite you to visit my new business
and career site.
Read additional articles.
If you like my articles, you'll probably enjoy my weekly ezine,
Your Next Move.
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You may forward, reprint or post this
article anywhere, if you do not normally pay authors, and if
you include the following resource box:
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, career
coach and
speaker. She works with mid-career, midlife professinals who
are ready to make their next business or career move.
Visit http://www.cathygoodwin.com and subscribe to the Your Next
Move ezine.
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.html
Contact cathy@cathygoodwin.com or 505-534-4294.
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