Do you feel like you have a calling in life? Is there something when you wake up each day that you feel you are meant to do? If you don’t feel like you do, this episode will help you find what you’re missing. We’ll learn from Prof. Jeff Thompson, a professor of management and expert in calling.
About Our Guest
Jeff Thompson is a professor at the BYU Marriott School of business and the George Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics. Jeff Thompson is someone who thrives in the study of finding your calling, and he loves to ask questions like what makes a job a calling? And how do we find our calling?
Jeff Thompson also has a Google Scholar full of resources that will create a more meaningful work experience.
Dr. Hull company Neuroworx came from tragedy and is inspiring people every day.
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Most kids like to collect stuff, but they usually collect normal things like Pokémon cards or interesting rocks. When I was a kid, I collected entirely useless facts. My family teased me for starting every few sentences with the phrase, “Did you know…” I still remember this one:
“Did you know that Americans eat an average of eight pounds of pickles per year?” (35 years later, this is still true by the way.)
When we were imagining our jobs as adults, everyone in my family predicted that I would be a professor. And I even considered it seriously for a semester of college, only to decide on law school and a legal career. The path didn’t seem like a good fit for me. But after an unexpected set of twists and turns, I’ve now been a professor for 15 years.
Why am I telling this story? Next week, the How to Help Podcast launches, and my first guest is a fellow professor, Dr. Jeff Thompson. He’s an expert in calling and how people find purpose and satisfaction in their work.
Here’s one of the tips he’s going to offer. If you are trying to figure out your calling in life, look to your childhood. What were you naturally drawn to?
And don’t think just about topics like dinosaurs, ballet, math, or soccer. Think about the way you enjoyed spending your time, or the role you played in your group of friends, or what people trusted you to do for them. Most people have natural talents and interests that can be traced back to their childhood years. One of mine was a fascination with knowledge and an instinct to share it.
Jeff is convinced from his research that all of us have gifts that we can offer the world. If you’re still not sure what yours might be or if you’ll ever find it, take confidence in knowing that an expert in calling believes in you and what you can do to help others.
What are some of your childhood talents or gifts that you could put to work today?
Last month, Tom’s Shoes abandoned their famous Buy-One-Give-One model. Instead, they’ll be donating one-third of their profits to grassroots organizations.
A new approach to valuing nature comes with benefits and pitfalls.
Impact Highlight
Middle school is a natural time for kids to wonder about the jobs they'll have as adults, but it's also a time when many kids lose confidence in their future. Spark is a career- and self-discovery program that helps middle-schoolers explore work opportunities with the help of mentor companies. Over 10,000 students in the Spark program have become more engaged at school, become more confident, and better honed social and emotional skills.
Promotional Stuff
Honesty is hard, and for some reason we hesitate to admit it. Last week, I wrote a piece for Public Square Magazine to commemorate National Honesty Day. The key to being more honest isn’t just the truth, it’s relationships. Here’s a snippet from the article:
How we think of others makes practical honesty so much clearer. We like to say, for example, that someone who lies has a “shaky,” “loose,” or “relaxed” relationship with the truth. But the more precise accusation is that their relationship with others needs to be stronger. They undervalue the people to whom they owe the truth.
I started writing Good at Work last year as a way to create something that I wanted to read, a resource about how to do more good and how to be a better person. Most self-improvement resources tell us to look inward to become happier, healthier, or more productive (and I don’t begrudge that to anyone). But focusing on ourselves only takes us so far. We all want more meaning, and that comes from improving the world around us. Good at Work was a way to bring that into focus.
So today I’m excited to announce what’s next. How to Help is for everyone who wants a life and career with more meaning, virtue, and impact. The weekly newsletter will continue, even if this week’s is mostly an announcement. You’ll also notice that it has a new format that includes links to interesting articles. Each issue will still highlight a high-impact group from around the world.
My other big announcement is the launch of Season 1 of the How to Help Podcast on the evening of May 10. I spent the last year collecting interviews with a dozen fascinating people about topics all related to having a bigger impact on the world. Here’s the trailer, along with the full list of topics and guests:
I can’t even tell you how excited I am for you to hear every episode. You’ll learn about how to find your calling, how to cultivate hope, how to be more creative, and how to find your courage. I talk with a neuroscientist who studies altruism, a philosopher of work, and a whistleblower at Theranos who risked everything to reveal the truth. You can even subscribe right now in your favorite podcast app. Just search for “How to Help” or use one of the following links:
A new podcast needs a coordinated effort to reach a wide audience, so I hope you don’t mind if I recruit your help spreading the word. More on that next week.
For all of you reading and sharing, thank you so much. I’m incredibly excited about what’s coming next and I hope you’ll keep reading and keep sharing. I promise to do my very best to make it worthwhile. Regular newsletters resume next week!
Malaria has killed more people in the history of the humankind than just about any other disease. A vaccine for it will change the world. (The Guardian)
We don’t like to admit the role that luck plays in our success, but a computer model indicates that chance makes the biggest difference. (MIT Technology Review)
Thinking long-term is one of the more important things we can do, yet also one of the hardest. Some useful, practical advice to keep your eye on the future. (80,000 Hours)
Impact Highlight
When kids in the US are turned over to the foster care system, they often get separated from their siblings. This added trauma has consequences on emotional wellbeing that last well into adulthood. Finding ways to help siblings stay connected produces long-term benefits.
Camp to Belong is a network of member camps that bring foster-care siblings together for summer programs so they can reinforce their connections, celebrate life events, and make memories together. Multiple studies show that kids who participate are both more resilient and more hopeful for their future. Camps are currently held in 11 US states and Australia.
Other Stuff
This is going to be the place I share other things I want to bring to your attention. This week it’s just something delightful.
