Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. ~ Kahlil Gibran
Years ago while watching Project Runway I was very impressed by the then unknown Christian Siriano, who as a finalist was preparing a collection for Fashion Week in his itty bitty shoebox of an apartment that had room for only his sewing machine and creations. There was no furniture; he slept in a sleeping bag on the floor of the closet/hallway. Now a successful and respected designer because he lived, breathed and loved what he does, Christian surely found a way to “Make it work“!
Many of my clients in career transition find that this time is usually accompanied by or is a result of an identity crisis. Either their job has consumed them so much that forgot who they were, or their only sense of self came from the title and salary they received, and now that it’s gone they are a bit lost; or they are not sure how they ended up doing what they were doing in the first place and don’t want to do the same thing going forward.
Therefore, with unemployment at its highest in many years, we are reaching an epidemic proportion of people who are quite disoriented. But, the good news is that if you use this opportunity to do some internal work, you can really put yourself on the right track to the livelihood you were meant to have all along.
Much of what I do is help people discover that you are not your job. However, when you discover who you are, your labor is just a natural extension of yourself, of what you do, what you bring to this table of life. In other words, being employed and doing your work are two different things that may or may not coincide at any particular time. The most important thing is to allow yourself to constantly evolve and do what you do, regardless of a paycheck or the environment.
For me, the only way I could exist would be to make them coincide. It’s not a path for the faint of heart; it has been, and continues to be, a fascinating, challenging yet thoroughly rewarding journey. But with all the ups and downs and unknowns, at the end of the day, just about every day, I know I am doing my work, and the love of that work fuels every area of my life. This is the true American dream.
So this month, why not Show Me What You Got with the ingenuity of Missy Elliott and the attitude of Snow White’s dwarfs. Not sure what it is or how to find a way to do the work that makes you feel most alive no matter what? Give me a buzz and I’ll help you create a life that is a pure labor of love!
(*Today’s PGG was originally posted on July 12, 2011)
Read more about me and my work in these past PGG’s:
All Roads, Same Place | And Now, A Word from Our Sponsor | Strong Medicine | 10,000 Hours
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FEELING STUCK IN YOUR CAREER? CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO!
Last November I was one of the career experts featured in a panel discussion hosted by The Muse. Here is the full length video where you can hear my thoughts on career transition, working with a coach, building confidence and handling emotions in the workplace.
KRISTINA LEONARDI 
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