Have you ever found yourself trapped in a job that you didn’t particularly enjoy or connect with on any level? Maybe you followed another family member onto a certain career path when you really wanted to do something else? However you got there, it can be disappointing to feel like you’re doing your job just for the paycheck.
Everyone wants the ultimate dream job. We want a role that is not only financially and emotionally satisfying, but one where we can also have an impact. In other words, we want to find our calling. Could you find your true calling in caregiving? Why is it important to determine if you can?
Research suggests that experiencing your work as a calling and not just a job makes life more meaningful and provides a higher level of self-fulfillment that we’re all looking for.
Job, Career, or Calling – What’s the Difference?
Many career counselors have spent years of their lives researching how individuals identify with their work. As a result, they’ve established three definitions or classifications of work: job, career, and calling.
- Job: A job provides you with a check and some benefits, along with social interaction with other people. Its primary purpose is to provide a paycheck. Someone with a job sees work as merely the way they can afford to do the things they love. Family, friends, and hobbies are what they focus on, not their professional pursuits. They don’t see work as a place to learn, gain experience, or increase their connections. It’s just something they have to do to earn a living.
- Career: You do a job for someone else to get your paycheck, while a career is something you do for yourself. Career professionals are typically driven to seek out opportunities to advance in the workplace. They strive for the next promotion, look for more training, and work hard to impress others. Career-oriented individuals have a long-term vision for their professional future, they’re goal-setters, and they enjoy competing for advancement in their careers.
- Calling: People who experience their work as a calling feel deep alignment between their vocation and who they are as a person. They are emotionally connected to their work, enthusiastic, willing to work longer and harder to contribute, and have a sense of purpose. It’s not surprising that this group tends to be the most satisfied with their professional situation.
Caregiving As a Calling
If you’re currently working, do you have a job, career, or calling? If you’re not working right now, which of the three would you like to find?
The majority of professional caregivers see their work as a calling. Most caregivers have had jobs and careers and found them emotionally draining and left them personally unfulfilled. They spent a great amount of time at work daydreaming about doing something else for a living or about what they were going to do on the weekend.
Professional caregivers love their work because they know that they’re making a contribution to others every day. They can see that they make a difference in people’s lives, that their work isn’t just something they do for their own benefit.
Caregivers love the variety of people they interact with each day and the different ways they help them. They enjoy going to work because they don’t just hope they’re making a difference in people’s lives – they are sure they are.
Find Your True Calling in Caregiving With Family Resource Home Care
If you’re ready to make a difference in people’s lives and find your calling, we can make that available to you and help change your life. If you’re new to the profession, we’ll provide the training you need to succeed. If you’re an experienced caregiver, we’ll provide an environment that is positive and supportive. In addition, we provide our caregivers with very competitive compensation and benefits.
Take a look at our openings and call us!
Take the first step onto your new path and find your calling.