Any Job is an Honorable Job

Any Job is an Honorable Job



Seeing your job as an honorable job, adds more meaning and

peace to your life. Also, seeing the honor in what you do

now, creates an ideal foundation upon which a career change

can be built.



At fifteen, my first job was that of a waitress at a local

truck stop. One day, back then, I happened to meet the

elementary principal of my past. She mentioned she had heard

I was working part time and wondered at what.



Shamefacedly I mumbled, "Oh, I am just a waitress." That

wise, old, stern headmistress said to me, "Teresa, any job

is an honorable job. Don't you ever forget it!" And I never

have.



Of course, seeing the honor in our job is not always an easy

task.



Societal Values Demean our Work & Worth



Our societal values make it difficult to honor so-called

menial jobs. Our sick societal values esteem big bank

accounts, fancy houses, new cars, extended paid vacations,

prestigious jobs, beautiful, youthful looks, and perfectly

cloned behaviors. These societal values wring the worth from

the vast majority of hard-working folk.



Create your own values by looking for the honor and worth in

your work now. Any honest day's work is honorable and

worthy. Finding the honor and goodness in everything you do

builds dignity and honor within you.



Even if you wanted to career change but instead returned to

the field you had hoped to leave, remember, there is huge

honor and courage in this. Taking care of your family and

responsibilities does not mean you are a failure. It means

you are a responsible, caring human being.



If you cannot find any worth in your current job, that lack

of worth will likely haunt your career change. Before

jumping jobs, seeking fulfillment elsewhere, consider your

current job as sacred work.



Your Job as Sacred Work



Monastic writers have described their day-to-day, menial

work as the path to holiness. Your job is much more than a

means to pay bills. Try envisioning your job as your

ministry.



As Martin Luther King Jr. advised, "Whatever your

life work is, do it so well that no one else could do it

better. If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep

streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare

wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets

so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to

say, here lived a great street sweeper." Turn your work into

a form of personal and spiritual growth by doing it

exceedingly well, as one form of service to the world.





I have a very health conscious, spiritual friend who, at

this moment in her life, sells lottery tickets, liquor and

cigarettes in a liquor store to help pay her bills. Rather

than bitterly resent her position, she has made it her

ministry to create a positive atmosphere, giving kindness

and care to every human being that passes through those

doors. Not surprisingly, wonderful little miracles occur

often. (And yes, she is also doing the groundwork to create

new employment.)



Rarely are things what they seem to be on the surface. In

every relationship, in every job, and in every life

experience there is much more going on than meets the eye.



"The three foundations of spirituality:

hearth as altar,

work as worship

and service as sacrament."



A Compilation of Triads, Volume I John F. Wright



We are always being called to see the bigger picture and to

grow nearer to our soul. To find more meaning within the

work you do now, query your soul as to the larger view.



Ask Your Soul



Try sitting quietly for awhile. Practice letting go of

passing thoughts while lightly noticing your breath coming

in and going out. Relax your body and mind. Ask your soul,

"What is my work really about. What work am I really doing

here?"



When I had grown weary of facilitating the same career

assessment program for nine years, I sat and asked my soul

this same question. Within the whisper of my small, still

voice I heard the truth, "You are bringing light and hope to

people."



The work I was doing was not about self assessment tools or

job search but about bringing light and hope to people. From

that day onward the program was no longer repetitive for me

and as I gained more depth and meaning in my work, so did

the program.



When we see our work as sacred and honorable, we feel good

about what we are doing and who we are. This goodness spins

off into our family, workplace and ultimately the world.

This also, builds an ideal foundation for career change, if

we so desire. From honoring ourselves and our current work

we can then successfully begin taking small steps towards

change.



Visit Teresa at http://www.yourlifework.com



Find support, insight and inspiration for your career and

lifework path. Teresa; writer, facilitator and mentor has

helped thousands of people navigate their lifework path with more acceptance and peace. Be gentle with yourself and enjoy

where you are today!