What does it mean to have a profession? Typically, one thinks of it as their work or occupation. Being paid to do a job. That, however, doesn’t make one a professional. It just means a person is showing up at work to trade their time for money.
For example, when the neighborhood kid asks to cut your grass to earn money to buy a bike, he’s a worker. The person with a landscaping company plus a major investment in trucks and equipment, who carries workers’ comp and liability insurance, files a tax return, and adheres to his industry association standards is a professional.
To be a professional means the person has made a profession of beliefs about the work to be done and sticks to them. They’re inspired to aspire and willing to perspire to transpire their work to standards of excellence and desired compensation. One’s “profession” is typically seen as one’s Work Life — what shows on their business card.
Your Work Life, however, is one of four “lives” you possess. You are far more than your business card. You have an Inner Life, a secret and sacred space within, where demons and angels alike battle; a Private Life, encompassing your home, health, finances, and family; and a Personal Life lived with family and friends at home, at church, and at play.
Prostitution, as in the sex trade, is often referred to as the oldest profession. No, the oldest profession is the selling of our souls to our Work Life for the thin veneer of keeping up our public appearance only to discover it’s a destructive and anguishing path.
Your 2-word purpose lives in the heart of your Inner Life. Having clarified it, are you ready to make a profession or declaration along with a plan to be on-purpose? One view of the image included here is that of a target — where to start. Another perspective is to see your purpose radiating into and filling all four lives — a vision for a fulfilled and meaningful life of being on-purpose.
Be a Professional On-Purpose Person!
Kevin
