Tag: work

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What if I Don’t Want a Traditional Career? Know About Thriving at Work

Interview with Kerri Christopher

Does the thought of working 40 hours a week at the same place for decades sound unappealing? Here’s your permission slip to say so out loud! In this installment of our Thriving at Work series, life coach Kerri Christopher from Clarity Life Consulting acknowledges that “having it all” is exhausting, explains what a “portfolio life” looks like, and challenges the notion that a successful career equals a successful life. She also shares tips for discerning what path your work life should take, and offers free resources to help. If the pressure to “climb the ladder” has been too heavy, breathe a sigh of relief and listen to Kerri’s refreshing perspective.

The Lie of ‘Having it All’

“Having it all” may sound nice, but in reality it can place pressure on people, especially women, to extend themselves beyond a healthy capacity. “Having it all” actually becomes doing it all—an impossible task for anyone.

“For many women and probably men too, there is this often unspoken societal pressure to do all the things, but most women are really tired out it,” Kerri told Know Why. “And it’s ok to say, ‘That version of life is not for me.’”

How do we avoid the trap of keeping up with the pressure to “have it all?” Kerri said we should practice discernment to decide what things in life are worth focusing on. There are many ways to discern the appropriate path for one’s life, including prayer, journaling, and self-reflection. Kerri offers a free journaling workshop to help with this effort.

Work vs. Career

When discerning one’s path, it’s key to keep in mind that work doesn’t equal career—and not everyone has to have or desire a “traditional” 40-hour/week career. Different seasons of life can lend themselves to different pursuits and even different levels of productivity, and that’s ok.

“For many women and probably men too, there is this often unspoken societal pressure to do all the things, but most women are really tired out by it.”

Kerri Christopher
Clarity Life Consulting

“Lots of people have varied interests and they don’t want to be defined by one particular line of work,” Kerri told Know Why. “They want the chance to do different things throughout their lives, or the different seasons of their lives.”

Stepping outside of the career mindset means acknowledging that there is more to life than one’s job title. In fact, the impact a person has outside of their career is what’s most valuable from an eternal perspective. “I think somewhere along the way we picked up a cultural message that a successful career is a successful life, and a lack of career or unsuccessful career is a failure of life, and nothing could be farther from the truth,” Kerri said.

It’s ok for our lives to be divided up into seasons or chapters, and it’s ok for our desires and interests to change and evolve overtime to best fit the season we’re in.

Ultimately, Kerri says we should ask our Creator for guidance regarding the best path for our individual gifts and talents, even if it differs from cultural expectations surrounding career and success.

Additional Resources

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Podcasts

Can I Avoid Burnout? Know About Thriving at Work

Interview with Dr. Eddy Brewer

Is burnout unavoidable? With workplace stress at an all-time high, it may seem that way. But according Dr. Eddy Brewer, Senior Pastor at Capitol Hill Assembly of God in Oklahoma City, the answer is no! His studies prove it is possible to prevent burnout and cultivate a healthy work-life balance. He shares the “how”—backed by extensive research and ancient wisdom—in this episode of the Know Why Podcast, the first in our series on Thriving at Work. 

A Common Problem

New research from Future Forum found in 2023 that over 40 percent of workers (of 10,000 full-time, desk-based employees in six countries) reported being burned out. Those under 30 experienced burnout at even higher rates, and were the most at risk for burning out.

This aligns with Dr. Brewer’s findings. After writing his doctoral dissertation on burnout among clergy, Dr. Brewer discovered that “the majority of burnout among ministers happens within the first five years, and the majority of that happens within the first three years.”

It’s your responsibility to give attention to your spiritual condition.”

Dr. Eddy Brewer, Capitol hill Assembly of God

In short, work-place stress is hitting young adults hard. Dr. Brewer found other information in his research that may surprise listeners. Those most likely to experience burnout are unmarried singles. Among married people, those without children are more likely to experience burnout than parents. In general, women experience more burnout than men.

Think you might be experiencing symptoms of burnout? It’s typically marked by three signs, Dr. Brewer explained: emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a lack of personal accomplishment.

Several factors can lead to burnout, Dr. Brewer said, including “unrealistic expectations” both of your job and your own performance. Lacking identity outside of work is also a big factor. “Try to separate your identity from your work,” he said. “Get your identity from who God made you to be, not just your career.”

Preventative Measures

How can you avoid burnout? Dr. Brewer suggests five steps:

  1. Take care of your spiritual health.
  2. Be thankful.
  3. Rest.
  4. Get a hobby.
  5. Maintain meaningful and healthy relationships.

He also recommends reading the biblical book of Psalms, even if you’re not a frequent reader of Scripture. Many of the Psalms were written by David, a figure in the Bible who experienced burnout and frequent stress. The range of emotions expressed in the Psalms will resonate with anyone experiencing burnout. David wasn’t the only biblical figure to experience burnout. On the podcast, Dr. Brewer shares stories of others in the Bible who are burned out and learn to cope through things like delegation of leadership, naps, food, and more.

More Resources

Dr. Eddy Brewer has offered to email his dissertation on burnout to anyone who requests a copy. Readers will find a detailed list of resources on the topic in the dissertation. To request a copy, email [email protected].

He also recommends The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer.

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Podcasts

Do I Need to Find my Dream Job to be Happy at Work?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/49QLHUUfKyyXBX6euHEH6T?si=5d7a73e31374431d

From the time we are little kids we’re asked what we want to be when we grow up. We’re encouraged to try all the extracurriculars and pick our favorite, or otherwise identify our “passion.” “Find out what you’re passionate about and find a way to make money doing it,” we’re told. In short, in the modern age, work has gone from a job, to a career, to a calling.

But what if that isn’t the best way to think about work?

What is Workism?

In 2019 Derek Thompson wrote an article for The Atlantic about the “religion of workism.” He shows that rich men work the most these days, contrary to history when the most privileged groups typically worked least. Why is that? Here’s what Thompson writes:

“Maybe the logic here isn’t economic at all. It’s emotional—even spiritual. The best-educated and highest-earning Americans, who can have whatever they want, have chosen the office for the same reason that devout Christians attend church on Sundays: It’s where they feel most themselves.” 

But it’s not just rich men anymore. Workism is spreading. Thompson writes, “In a 2018 paper on elite universities, researchers found that for women, the most important benefit of attending a selective college isn’t higher wages, but more hours at the office.”

He continues:

“What’s more, in a recent Pew Research report on the epidemic of youth anxiety, 95 percent of teens said ‘having a job or career they enjoy’ would be ‘extremely or very important’ to them as an adult. This ranked higher than any other priority, including ‘helping other people who are in need’ (81 percent) or getting married (47 percent). Finding meaning at work beats family and kindness as the top ambition of today’s young people.”

Millennials and Gen Z want to make a difference through their work. Why is that a problem? It’s not. To quote Thompson again:

“The problem with this gospel—Your dream job is out there, so never stop hustling—is that it’s a blueprint for spiritual and physical exhaustion. Long hours don’t make anybody more productive or creative; they make people stressed, tired and bitter.”

Finding Happiness at Work

To really find the key to happiness at work, we must rethink our preconceived notions about our interest and “passions.”

Combatting Fixed Theory

The first thing to consider is fixed theory—the idea that our passions are ingrained in us from the beginning of our lives and can’t be changed. But this has been disproved by neuroscience…and common sense.

“If passions are things found fully formed, and your job is to look around the world for your passion—it’s a crazy thought,” Greg Walton, a Stanford professor and co-author of a study on interests and passions, told The Atlantic in 2018. “It doesn’t reflect the way I or my students experience school, where you go to a class and have a lecture or a conversation, and you think, That’s interesting. It’s through a process of investment and development that you develop an abiding passion in a field.”

So what’s the opposite of fixed theory? It’s the notion that interests can develop overtime…and in fact, this is something proven by neuroscience.

Intrinsic Motivations vs. Extrinsic Motivations

Arthur Brooks has a series in The Atlantic on “How to Build a Life.” One of his articles discusses the secrets to happiness at work. He writes:

“To be happy at work, you don’t have to hold a fascinating job that represents the pinnacle of your educational achievement or the most prestigious use of your ‘potential,’ and you don’t have to make a lot of money. What matters is not so much the ‘what’ of a job, but more the ‘who’ and the ‘why’: Job satisfaction comes from people, values, and a sense of accomplishment.”

He goes on:

“For real satisfaction, you should pursue intrinsic goals—two in particular. … The first is earned success. …  Earned success instead gives you a sense of accomplishment. … The second goal worth pursuing at work is service to others—the sense that your job is making the world a better place. … you can find service in almost any job.”

Takeaways

To put it one way, relationships (service to others) are at the heart of what makes people happy at work. This is true regardless of your religious beliefs. However, these fundamental truths about relationships and even work are found in the Bible.

For instance, the most important biblical commands are not about changing the world, being successful, being smart, being morally perfect, or making more money, but simply this: Love God above all else, and love others as yourself.

The Bible also tells workers that whatever they are doing, to work for the Lord and not for man, giving immediate and intrinsic value to their work no matter what it is.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hope for a dream job, or pursue jobs that interest you. But don’t be discouraged if you end up working a different job than you imagined, whether for a short season or a long time. You can still find happiness at work.