Stuck at Work

This picture was taken when I received my Doctorate in Sociology from Berkeley. It seems like a million years ago. Yet I can tell you exactly what I was feeling that day: I was grateful to be surrounded by people who loved me, a bit cocky about my big achievement, and pretty clueless about how I would make a real career out of it.

That’s my dad. He attended Berkeley in the late 1930s and graduated on the eve of World War II.?Despite incredible headwinds in very dangerous times, he built his life with perseverance, vision and grace. My generation grew up with the wind at our back, beneficiaries of government investments that created a robust middle class. It was a different time for my dad and his generation. Their stories were different from mine; however, our generations were linked by a common desire to build a better life.?

I’ve always loved working and making money. I mowed lawns, polished cars, cleaned windows, sold men’s clothes, worked on boats, fed fish to Shamu the killer whale, delivered mail, delivered flowers, and waited on thousands of tables. I knew I could make money, but could I make a living?

Could I connect my work – my labor – to my profession, my purpose??

I knew that having autonomy and doing meaningful work were essential to me, but I was clueless on how best to turn that desire into a career. What I was not clueless about was my curiosity about the world and my eagerness to jump into the experience.

So, for two years after I got my Ph.D., I dove into the world of academia – researching, writing, and teaching. But after a while, I began to feel stuck. I still felt a sense of purpose – even a sense of mission – but the reality was not adding up. With tenure track job offers coming in from places where I didn’t want to live, I asked myself, what am I doing? Is this really the life I want? I knew I had to pivot.

Then one night, I randomly met someone at a party who saw something in me. With that chance encounter I left academia and was drawn into the world of organizational development; one that stoked my curiosity about how people work and learn. Here I could apply my skills in the world and still have a sense of purpose. That opportunity, that pivot, changed my life forever.?

We each have an intimate relationship with labor and feel in our bones how it shapes our identity, our purpose and our self-worth.? So, if you are feeling stuck in your work, remember who you are and be open to whatever unknown is calling you.

Be assured that when you take action things will stop happening to you and start happening because of you. Trust yourself, trust the universe, and take a calculated risk that energizes you and those you touch.

With a good attitude, a strong skillset, some encouragement and, yes, a bit of luck, in time a new path will emerge. It probably won’t be a straight one, and it may not look like the one you first imagined.?But it will be your path – designed and built with your blood, sweat and tears; one that brings fulfillment and happiness. It will be a practical testament to your labor, to your purpose, and to your imagination; one worthy of honor and reflection.