Is Your Job Big Enough For Your Spirit?

Is Your Job Big Enough For Your Spirit?

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"Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirits." - Studs Terkel

If you really stop to think about this quotation, it's shocking: "Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirits."

It means, I think, that many of us are operating at one-half, one-third, or even one-quarter power or less. It means we could be doing, accomplishing and contributing so much more than we are.

Think what would have happened if Helio Castroneves drove the recent Indianapolis 500 Race using only half the capacity of his powerful race car. There would have been no win that day and he would have been laughed out of the industry. When people want to win, they go all out.

Athletes talk about 'leaving it all on the field, or the court.' They have nothing left. They give it their all.

And we love to see that. We thrill in response to that kind of effort.

We love hearing about 'The Colonel' who slept in his car at night while during the day he went to different companies, trying to convince them to purchase his wonderful recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

It's exciting to hear about Dave Thomas, who wanted to be a successful entrepreneur. He started with one restaurant in downtown Columbus, Ohio and through personal magnetism, business savvy and sheer persistence, grew his business into the Wendy's franchise. He then used his celebrity to promote adoption.

Bill Gates had big dreams and little money when he started. Now he is one of the richest men in the world, able to spend billions (that's billions with a 'B') on charitable efforts that benefit people all over the world.

There's Jimmy Carter with his powerful efforts to promote World Peace as well as making Habitat for Humanity famous; Al Gore for his now accepted work on global warming; Wangari Mattai who won a Nobel Prize for her work promoting peace and reclaiming the forests of her native Kenya.

All these people and many more, most of them unknown except in their own communities have lived lives that seem larger than they are as individuals. Their contribution and impact is so much greater. That could not happen unless their efforts matched the spirit within them.

You may appreciate the contributions of these individuals while saying to yourself, "I could not do that." Well, maybe you couldn't do what they have done, but could you do more than you are currently doing?

Could you be making a bigger contribution; making a bigger difference; tackling a bigger problem? Our spirit within is greater than the sum of our more human parts: bigger than personality, than our individual challenges and scars, and often bigger than our current vision for our lives.

How big could we make our lives? How big do we want to make them?

What are we called to do but might be afraid to tackle, telling ourselves we don't have the knowledge, the resources, or the skills. Is your life calling you to be more than you are allowing yourself to be?

Are you willing to challenge yourself to go for that big dream or undertake a big adventure? What if doing more, living a bigger life and making a more significant contribution were possible? If you knew it were possible, would you do it?

It takes courage and a strong desire to go for our dreams. It's scary to step out of our comfort zone. But what if, when you die and you are reviewing your life, the welcoming angels lovingly show you what you could have accomplished if you had dreamed big; if you had gotten past your fear?

What if they showed you the people you could have helped, the problems you could have solved, the contribution you could have made? Would you wish then that you had done it?

Don't wait. If you are feeling your job is too small for you, it probably is. Find a job that is as big as you are; find the contribution that is yours to make. It's all there waiting for you.

About the Author:
Anita Web Weaver is the owner of Design to Shine Consulting, offering coaching, mentoring and speaking services to help people shine, no matter what, in their career, their life and their health.

Get her FREE Audio: Busting Through Fear
to Have Your Dream Career



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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