As a professor of management at Hope College, Tom Smith regularly hears college students say they want to seek joy through the vocation they will later choose. They want to find happiness in their work. They are looking for a career that will bring them fulfillment. But Tom says they have it wrong. It’s less about seeking, finding, or looking for joy from their work, it’s more about bringing joy, happiness, and fulfillment to their work.
For Tom, work and life have never been distinct from each other. They are both part of who he is and his work has always simply been his way of making a life with his wife Cheryl and their two now-20-something daughters. Here are his lessons learned about joy and more:
- Share. Early on in their marriage when their children were young, Tom and his wife Cheryl would share their responsibilities and parenting hours. Tom was completing his PhD at the University of Michigan and his wife was working part-time. He would go to work and classes from 6am-3pm and then he and Cheryl would meet in the parking garage (they only had one parking sticker in those lean times) and he would take the children and care for them while she worked her 3pm-12am shift as a nurse. Tom and his wife wanted to avoid using daycare so they were creative about how they scheduled their working hours. The lesson here? Find creative ways to share responsibilities in the family. Sometimes this will mean sacrificing, but sharing the demands is helpful.
- Find Your Rhythm. Tom and his wife have also honored the rhythm of semesters and summers. While Cheryl has consistently worked part time, Tom’s focus has been on his teaching during the semesters, and on the family during the summers. Trips, family time, and leisure are the focus during May through August and this pattern has served the family well. Finding a cadence in life, whether it is connected to a school year or a business season provides consistency and continuity.
These strategies helped Tom integrate life and work, but for Tom, it’s less about the strategies and more about the calling of work. Work and life are wrapped in a bigger picture of spirituality and faith. What is his advice for finding your calling? “Turn off,” he says. We’ve created busy, always-on lives which have become our identities and our mantras. We need to turn off in order to tune in and listen for insights into who we are, who God is, and how we can make our best contributions.
In addition, for Tom, it’s always been about teaching. Even from the time he was in middle school and babysat two younger boys, he loved to educate. Today, when a student has an ‘ah ha’ moment of realization and new thinking, it gives Tom a kick that can keep him going for weeks. His unique contribution is at the intersection of spirituality, theology, and business – and this is what he teaches. Each of us has a distinct gift and having the space to reflect and the ability to realize this passion is a process of discernment.
It’s all about commitment: There are many different paths that may be right for each of us, says Tom. There are a number of jobs at which we can excel. There are even multiple people with whom we could make a great life. The key is to commit to the one you’ve chosen. Choose a career. Invest, and stick with it. Choose a mate, and commit for a lifetime. Once you’ve discerned the best among the options available, know you’re in the right place and give it your very best.
Turn off in order to tune in and create joy in the choices you make.
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Would you like to tell your story? If so, let me know by emailing me at tbrower108@gmail.com. Why? One of the foundations of Bringing Work to Life is abundance: the idea that it is possible to find fulfillment, have it all, and avoid the trade-offs between work and life. After all, work and life aren’t separate things to be placed in containers, but part of an integrated whole of a satisfying life. Another foundation of Bringing Work to Life is the idea of multiple right answers. As we’re all seeking ways to bring work to life – and bring life to work – we can learn from each other’s unique solutions and stories. I’d love to learn about your story!
Tracy Brower is the author of Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and Organizations.