Influenced by societal dictates of success, we sometimes focus on looking outside of ourselves to define a satisfying career, instead of what would really make us happy; a job or career that allows our true “authentic” passion to manifest. Because of the current economic crisis most of us will hold onto a job even if we’re unhappy. Too little time is spent “going within” to allow what really gives us joy – to emerge.
That’s why I’m a huge fan of career counseling. It’s not just throwing people into a role or job, but various processes that call on a person to go a little deeper into ones psyche, to pinpoint what makes them tick and what doesn’t. One of my long time mentors is a proponent of that approach; encouraging his clients to get silent enough, to listen.
For nearly 15 years I’ve studied the work of E.H. Rick Jarow, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Vassar College and former Mellon Fellow in the Humanities at Columbia University. As a sociologist specializing in career counseling, Jarow is the author of a number of books which have been crucial in the development of my own career as a journalist and in my media training work helping others to articulate their vocational mission.
Ricks books, The Alchemy of Abundance and Creating the Work You Love were instrumental as I developed my career, but perhaps the glue that kept it all together was my personal inner work, sometimes on my own or in a group process with Rick.
Just a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to assist Rick at his workshop, “Creating the Work You Love” at the Omega Institute. I’ve taken this course a number of times and have always walk away from it with an even deeper perspective of my work. Rick’s philosophy is “not about processing conscious intension, but instead processing unknown consciousness.” Not being attached to the outcome, each person instead worked on the intention of “allowing” what “authentic” work resonated within him/her self, to come forth.
Rick is facilitating a number of workshops at Esalen at Big Sur in August. You can check out the descriptions here.
If you’d like to hear more about Rick’s philosophy check out this interview that I did with him last year for WorkLife Nation.
