For twenty years, I have been coaching people through career changes.  Some of them have been laid off, and others simply want to move on to something different.  I, myself, made a career change some years ago when I decided to leave consulting and become a Career Coach.  I had been traveling for four years Monday through Friday, and I needed to have a better life balance, get back to my Christian connections in Chicago, my weekly prayer group, a small group Bible study, and just time for myself.  

So, I took control of my work life. 

I quit. 

What do I want to be when I grow up?

This was the question that faced me at the ripe age of 6 in preparation for a first-grade career day where we were tasked with dressing up in the wrappings of our future dream careers. Some kids miraculously already knew what they wanted to be, and I’m sure some of them are fulfilling that same calling all these years later. Others gave themselves permission to envision incredible dreams of becoming astronauts, sports superstars, or world leaders.

But for me, this was the stuff of nightmares.

I’m six years old and you want me to decide what I want to be for the rest of my life!? Let’s just say I had whatever is the first-grade equivalent of an existential crisis.

But what should we do with the time that is given to us? It’s a sacred question. One that holds with it both an incredible weight and a certain mystery. Our vocations will consume a significant portion of our adult lives. Don’t we want to spend them well? Don’t we want our work to matter?