“I’ve never worked a day in my life.” Donald Hall

Immediate Response

Take two to three minutes and briefly journal your immediate reactions/thoughts to that quote. (To be cont’d)

Call

Although vocation is often considered a reference to a profession it includes so much more. Much of what we feel called to be and do in our lives is lived out in relationships and service alongside our gifts and talents. Parents are not paid to care for their children but answer a personal call to nurture. So under the category of vocation we are really looking at paid and unpaid work, scheduled time and ‘free’ time, assigned tasks and chosen responsibilities.

In the reflective journal we looked at lists of roles, tasks, and dreams. The quote from Jay Kesler about congruence said, “It’s about being who we are—that will determine what we do.” In vocation this also extends a little into how we do it as well—with what commitment of time and quality are we able to commit, how do we recognize the priorities, work through stressful situations, and steward our resources.

If we are working from our passions we have a huge opportunity.

If we are working from obligation/or duress—how can we give ourselves to the work, both in terms of quality and soul survival?

Yet even our dream jobs have the ability to grind us down emotionally, mentally, and spirituality because of excessive demands, or time constraints, or difficult tasks.

When we journal in this category, we find help to stay focused on priorities, and at the same time have a stress release valve for the emotional ups and downs. Many journal questions begin at the same point throughout all the categories and blend into each other sometimes, but asking the questions from a different perspective helps us see things that may go unnoticed. Think of one scene being photographed from many camera angles.

The opening quote above is the first line from Donald Hall’s book, Life Work. He next reflects on his family heritage and the types of work his father and grandfather did. Then he returns to his own viewpoint.

“Work. I make my living at it. Almost twenty years ago I quit teaching—giving up tenure, health insurance, and annual raises—as one of my own children began college and the other was about to. I worked like crazy to pay tuitions and mortgages—but because I loved my work it was as if I did not work at all.”

Continue your journal notes from above. How do both his statements resonate with you regarding your choice of vocation or call? Is your response now different from your original?

Action Steps: Think of a project that you completed this past year. Apply the difficult areas mentioned above if applicable.

1. Make a grid. Across the top write emotional, mental, and spiritual. Down the side write excessive demands, time constraints, and difficult tasks.