January 22, 2010


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Chris Jarvis, an ordained pastor, had his faith shaken to the core one day, when he was working with at-risk youth on the streets of Toronto. A young mother was living on the street, earning an income through prostitution. He wanted to help. But no-one in his network or church congregation would respond to his request to give the woman temporary housing. The street workers asked: “What the ____ good is your god to anybody?”

That question triggered an epiphany that transformed Chris’ career and life. He now “creates space for people to have moments of epiphany,” through his company Realized Worth.  He helps companies implement their Corporate Social Responsibility agenda through meaningful volunteer programs. “I help corporations to go beyond what they’re comfortable with,” by helping staff volunteer and in so doing “connect what they do with who they are.” It’s worth listening to the MP3 to hear how impassioned Chris is about what he’s doing. Yet this new work doesn’t yet pay the bills, so he has been operating a cleaning service on the side to fuel the work he’s passionate about.

CareerCycles asks: What if you could pursue what you’re deeply passionate about, without having to rely on it to earn your income?  Do you care about international development? Your local environment? Wouldn’t it be great to find a volunteer opportunity to connect who you are to what you do? Or, like Chris, what if you uncoupled ‘earning a living’ from ‘doing what you want’? If ‘career’ is really about the full expression of who you are and how you want to be in the world, what do you want to do, possibly as a volunteer, to fully express yourself?

Dean  Dwyer began to “quit shit” and discovered that his life has taken an amazing turn for the better as a result. He quit his teaching job after 17 years, and then he quit his next job after one year. He’s making faster decisions, learning, and doing what he wants, and life is unfolding in a more satisfying way.  Now, his goal is to create a movement for people to let go of what no longer serves them. He writes the QuitBit blog, and to pay the bills, freelances using his digital marketing skills.

CareerCycles asks: With Dean as our inspiration, what’s one unhelpful thought you want to quit thinking, and replace with its positive contrary? For example, if you quit thinking ‘my work is boring and taking this job was a mistake,’ you might replace it with, ‘now I know I really want variety and stimulation.’ Or you might quit thinking, ‘I won’t be able to find another good job,’ with ‘I am open and receptive to clues that point me in the direction of a meaningful and satisfying career.’

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