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In her book Keeping the Faith (reviewed previously in this blog), Ana Mollindo Mims begins with what amounts to a personal manifesto. She says, in part
“I believe in destiny.”
“I believe each of us has a path that points us toward that destiny.”
“I believe that I am here for a purpose, not because of some random occurrence or decision by my parents.”
“I believe events in my life happen for a reason, not by accident.”
And my favorite:
“I believe that we have free will, and when we cede that free will to God’s purpose and plan, in life and in business, we will find ourselves on a journey that will fulfill and elate us, by no one’s standards but His own.”
True fulfillment in life comes by discovering and yielding your passion to the One who gave you that passion. What were you created to do?
My reading list has historically been second-hand, meaning that I tend to build my list based on recommendations from others. Rarely do I snoop around the shelves and tables of the bookstore looking for the hidden gems that others may have overlooked. I’ve always had a never-ending supply of recommended reading (college professors are good for that), combined with a short supply of time and patience for shopping, so the second-hand method works well for me.
It’s unusual, then, that I would impulsively pick up a book to read, but this particular book recently caught my attention: Keeping the Faith, by Ana Mollinedo Mims. The book is Ana’s very narrative and personal story about how she incorporates her faith into her personal career, and the impact that has had on finding meaning and success in her professional life.
In the book, she describes the seven principles of her faith-based philosophy:
- Faith – How to bring meaning to our work and infuse what we do with purpose.
- Prayerfulness – How to pause and take stock of any and all situations, centering our thoughts and bettering everything we set forth to accomplish.
- Humility – How infusing this in all things can bring about the most prosperity.
- Integrity – Why goodness and quality serve us long after a job is done.
- Forgiveness – Why adopting forgiveness does and will lead to greater meaning.
- Stewardship – How leading opens our options for all things.
- Legacy – Why we must all care about the work we do, and how a job is never really finished.
What I liked about this book
First, I appreciate the spiritual perspective of this book. I have always believed that our faith should be reflected in our work, and that our work is a natural extension of who God created us to be. We find meaning in work and life by discovering what we were created to do. This book supports that philosophy.
Second, the book is a very comfortable read, and very inspiring. Her personal stories as well as the stories she tells of others lends believability to her ideas. In other words, you don’t get the idea that this is pie-in-the sky wishful thinking, but a pratical philosophy that anyone can embrace.
What I didn’t like about the book
In a word — the title. The theme of the book seems to be about finding success by incorporating faith into your work and career. I think the words “Work” or “Career” or even “Purpose” should figure prominently in the title. Granted, the subtitle is “How Applying Spiritual Purpose to Your Work Can Lead to Extraordinary Success,“ but that’s not prominent enough to capture most readers.
Conclusion
The book was not what I expected when I picked it up, but I was pleasantly surprised. One of the reasons I wrote this review is that I think many people will disregard the book because of the title, and miss out on an enjoyable and inspiring read. If you are wondering how to integrate your faith and career, you will enjoy this book.
And it may help you answer the question, What were you created to do?
Thanks to YourHRGuy for drawing my attention to this article in Forbes Magazine. It offers three rules for older (40 plus) job seekers:
- Rule #1: Job seekers over 40 need a resume that looks forward, not backward.
- Rule #2: Don’t be defensive, and don’t omit dates.
- Rule #3: Don’t be afraid to sell yourself.
The writer suggests that younger job seekers need to emphasize work experience, but older job seekers need to change the perpective from “Look at everything I’ve done” to “Look at what I can do for you.” In other words, the resume becomes less about the candidate and more about the employer.
The author writes,
“Beware of writing a résumé that generates awe but not interviews. Your résumé should persuade a potential employer to grant you an interview, not your old employer to give you a gold watch.”
Older job seekers often have a hard time selling themselves for two keys reasons:
First, older workers tend to think that selling themselves is tantamount to bragging about their past accomplishments, and they consider bragging to be in bad form (rightfully so). Self-marketing, however, is not as much about past accomplishments as it is about future potential. True, there is a correlation between past accomplishments and future potential, but self-marketing should emphasize what you can do for someone else. Past accomplishments are merely the supporting evidence.
Second, many workers do not know what their real strengths, gifts, and passions are. For many years, they have defined themselved by their job description rather than their strengths and interests. Employers are less interested in your previous titles and job descriptions. They want to know that you have the skills and passion to do the job.
If your job serach has you looking to the past, you need to shift your thinking to the future. I believe that everyone has a unique purpose in life.
What were you created to do?
Occasionally I come across a quote about work that inspires and motivates me. Rather than just reading them and moving on, I thought I would start sharing them here. This one is from Woodrow Wilson:
“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”
How have you enriched the world today?
