Work Hard And Love What You Do

What do you want to be when you grow up?

In Chapters 7-9 of Work, Love, Pray Diane Paddison encourages young women to work hard, discover strengths, and play to passions. 

Of course, it can take time – even years – to find the right career path.  But no matter where we are in our professional journeys, we can ask ourselves some key questions:

• Do I enjoy what I do?
• What is the next step to advance my career goals?
• How do I gain leverage in the workplace? 

Diane’s advice is smart, no-nonsense, and practical.  Start with what you enjoy.  Start by working hard.  Harder than the person in the cubicle next to you.  In Diane’s words, “no one is going to bend over backward to help a slacker.”

Does this mean you never leave the office early?  That you don’t have a life outside of work?  That you are married to your job?

Of course not.  Diane also encourages us to set healthy boundaries and strike the right balance – both at home and at work. 

I think back to my early years as an associate in a large law firm.  I didn’t have children, I had a supportive spouse, and I instantly loved the practice of law.  So I worked hard.  Probably a little too hard.  I rarely said no, jumped at new projects, and always tackled the opportunity to learn something new.

But I also learned to set boundaries.  I had dinner with my husband almost every night, even if it was late.  I always took my full vacation.  And I decided to embrace technology and abandon “face time.”  (I realize “face time” isn’t a big deal anymore in most workplaces, but prior to the 24/7 technology revolution, hard work was often judged by burning the midnight oil in the office.) So, if a senior attorney or client needed to reach me after hours, I made sure they knew how to find me – and that I’d respond promptly. 

By the time I had my first child, I had built some flexibility into my work schedule.  Sure, I still struggled with the whole concept of balance, but by working hard at a job I enjoyed, establishing credibility, and setting boundaries (in addition to a heavy dose of grace!) I was able thrive at work and at home.

When we “play to our strengths” as Diane encourages, work is an opportunity to live out our God-given talents – not merely an attempt to survive. 

Do you love what you do?  What’s the next step in your career path?  How will you work hard to earn respect and leverage?

[Please join us over at 4Word to continue the discussion]

What's Your Story?

Every woman has a story. 

We’ve all gotten to this place in life – the journey to womanhood – with a few lessons under our belts (or should I say under our skirts!). Some of us had ideal childhoods and later learned that the “real world” is cruel and unforgiving. Others of us came to adulthood with some serious baggage – baggage that we’d like to forget about and we certainly don’t want to talk about.

But we all have one thing in common. We’re all saying to ourselves, “No matter how I got here, I need to know where to go next!”

In Work, Love, Pray, Diane Paddison starts off by telling her story. Diane is a farm girl from Oregon who grew up learning the values of hard work and determination. Her days leading peach-picking crews finally paid off when she got into Harvard Business School and landed her first dream job!

I learned from Diane that it’s important to know where you came from. In my case, my hard-working middle-class parents and four older sisters shaped my core values of faith, work and family. (And being the youngest of five siblings explains why I’m always the last to clean up!)

But it’s also important to know where you’re going. Diane encourages young women to think strategically about the future, pursue advanced degrees, and rise above our circumstances – even if we didn’t have perfect upbringings.

One of my favorite stories in the book is about a woman named Erin Botsford. Erin lost her father at a young age, grew up poor and was even charged with manslaughter in an accident that wasn’t her fault.  Even after she paid off her legal fees and worked her way out of debt, she lost every penny to a fraudulent investor! Talk about bad luck. Yet Erin is now a successful mom, wife and business owner.  She doesn’t complain and takes full responsibility for her attitude.

In Diane’s words, “Whether your past is a fairy tale or a horror story, only you can determine how it will play out – as a tragedy, or as a feel-good story with a happy ending.”

So, what’s your story?  What role did faith or spirituality play in your upbringing?  How did you get to this place in life, and where do you plan to go next?

[Some amazing women have already started to share their stories.  Please join the online discussion and share your story over at 4Word.]

Why I'm Leading The Work, Love, Pray Online Book Club

I’m thrilled to partner with 4Word and host the first Work, Love, Pray online book club.  Care to join me?

Great, let’s get started.  To begin, we’ll answer a few questions.

What are we doing?

We’re going to read – and discuss – Diane Paddison’s newly released book, Work, Love, Pray.  Over at 4Word's Blog.  Every Tuesday for the next six weeks.

For those of you how haven’t read the book, it’s a much-needed resource for young professional Christian women and Working Christian Moms who are trying to navigate their careers, family, and faith.  (See my full review.)

Who is participating in the book club?

Easy answer:  You!

And you don’t have to be a Christian or even a young woman (ages 21-40) to join. (Unfortunately, I’m not in that group anymore….)

Work, Love, Pray is for women of all ages, dads, husbands, and even single guys. 

Gals, are you looking for a safe place to discuss your careers, dreams, and relationships?

Older gals, do you need some help mentoring the young women in your life?

Guys, do you want to understand young women better? 

You’ve all come to the right place!  

Why the book club?

If you haven’t noticed, young professional women aren’t exactly flooding our churches.  In fact, many of them are staying away from church just because they think Christians are out of touch with their lives.  And in many cases, we don’t know what to do with a generation of women who need Jesus more than ever.

It breaks my heart to see young women pulling away from their faith communities.  I want to do something about it, don’t you?  That’s one of the reasons I want to get the word out about 4Word and Work, Love, Pray -- and I hope you’ll join me. 

How does this work?

We’ll be meeting every Tuesday at 4Word to discuss Work, Love, Pray for the next six weeks.  This will be our schedule.

Nov 15:  Chapters 1-3
Nov 22:  Chapters 4-6
Nov 29:  Chapters 7-9
Dec 6:  Chapters 10-12
Dec 13:  Chapters 13-15
Dec 20:  Chapters 16-18

You can leave comments on the 4Word Blog. Don’t worry if you fall behind.  Just come back, and we promise it will be fun!  And we’ll finish up just in time for Christmas!

Any questions?

Bring a friend, and we’ll see you at 4Word on Tuesday, Nov 15!

[For those of you who left me a comment here and on the 4Word Blog last week, please send your address to sdimickele@gmail.com so I can send you a copy of Chasing Superwoman!]

Christian Working Moms: Join Me Today At 4Word

You know from my review last week that I’m really excited about a new book for young professional women called Work, Love, Pray.

And you also know that I’m supporting 4Word – a national nonprofit designed to connect, lead and support young professional Christian women to live out their God-given talents!

Today, I’m joining 4Word over at their blog.  Check out my interview about my own journey as a Christian working mom and my book Chasing Superwoman.

Leave me a comment today here and over at 4Word and I’ll send you a copy of Chasing Superwoman!