In previous posts I wrote about what kind of pacing might you want in your work life, and what kinds of problems you'd prefer solving. Today I'm writing about the why you might choose to do what you do - a crucial part when you're making decisions on pursuing a career or pivoting from one to another.
Funny enough, I struggled to find my own cause for years because it was actually right under my nose (!) when I was working in/near academia as manager. It wasn't until I worked in a very different domain until I started to notice what my own raison d'être was. I was working for a no-kill animal services agency which runs many initiatives, one of them being a cat sanctuary - a retirement home for hundreds of cats that are deemed "unadoptable" for various reasons and would have been euthanized in other jurisdictions (as a cat person, I'm head over heels for that). As much as I believe in no-kill animal care, that cause wasn't mine. I discovered my own cause only after coming back to academia and speaking to students (to me, they are bright minds who will do great things in the future) again: The way I can be most useful for society is to bring out the talent in other people and to connect said people so that they can collectively do great things out there. I went into servant leadership for that reason. It wasn't because I wanted to lead others - it was because I wanted to nurture (and then send out) leaders out into the wild so that they can make a positive impact on the world. And imagine if they did the same thing... the effect can be exponential. This notion pushes me to do better every day. Do you have a cause you live for? How did you discover it (or build/nurture it)? Was it intuitive or unexpected? Or - are you currently searching? Did your cause change over time?
2 Comments
Janet Reid
2/23/2019 16:18:57
Candice, I really get what you are saying. I loved my time at the cat sanctuary but running it was not my passion. I did well because I love helping people but at 58 I am still searching for something else that I will enjoy!
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Candice McGowan
2/28/2019 22:51:36
Hi Janet - I'm tickled pink that you're reading this! It's a challenge to find a good fit between the big picture (saving the lives of cats for instance) and the way you contribute to the big picture. I used to think the "how" I do something didn't matter as much as the "what" I do, but I stand corrected - the "how" matters just as much.
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AuthorI'm Candice and I doodle with the intensity of the doomguy. Categories
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