Three Sticks — Personal Development for Christians

I’ve been thinking a lot about life and finding your passion. John Wood’s story of how he transformed his career from that of an common executive to one of international importance and impact is the best example of how following your dreams can create happiness which leads to an increased productivity and improved economic growth. Yes, I am arguing that it is in a nation’s interest to encourage citizens to follow their dreams and achieve true happiness.

It’s pretty well accepted that productivity leads to increased economic growth. For example, much of the stellar growth experienced in the 1990’s is attributed to the increase use of technology by businesses. As businesses ramped up their investment in technology their workers were able to increase their productivity. The aggregation of the individual increases in worker productivity (e.g. ability to produce more work in the same period of time) stimulated demand and expanded the economy.

This growth came at a cost. Many jobs were eliminated because new technologies made them unnecessary. If you remember The Secret of My Success, Micheal J. Fox’s character starts off as a mail room worker who spent large amounts of his day delivering memos between offices. Email fulfills this role today. So what happened to these people? Most found other employment. Some took it as an opportunity to go back to school and train for a new career. Others found careers in similarly limited skill positions. Although I’m sure for many it was a painful transition, overall the economy grew because technology increased productivity and freed individuals to find or create new jobs (e.g. those mail room attendants who became entrepreneurs).

How does this translate into following your dreams? Well, being happy at work is another major productivity booster. According to Alexander Kjerulf over at The Chief Happiness Officer, happiness at work is the ultimate productivity booster. He gives ten reasons why productivity increases when a person is happy. Essentially, being happy at work makes a person more creative, a better teammate and more engaged in the work they are performing.

I believe that passion for the work you are performing is essentially to being happy at work. I’ve stated before that God puts a desire in our heart to perform a specific task. It may be being a parent, teaching children or creating a large company. Whatever your purpose, the level of happiness and fulfillment you experience in your life is determined by your willingness to embrace and go after your dreams/purpose/passion.

Since happiness at work is essential to increasing productivity. And, increasing productivity is essential to growing the economy. It is reasonable to conclude that it is in a nations interest to encourage its citizens in to follow their dreams. Quite frankly, the wealth of the nation is dependent on that very fact.

However this is not simply a policy question, it is also a cultural question. If the cultural norm is for an individual to follow a specific standardized career path it may prove difficult for that person to find the courage to chase their dream. In United States, we praise people like Bill Gates and Micheal Dell while encouraging our youth to follow traditional career paths that have little to do with achieving personal happiness. Thus we have organizations that are filled with moderately motivated workers who would rather be somewhere else.

The reality is that many of these people need a wholesale change of career. Some people have made this realization and have become amateur professionals. These are individuals who take on causes, hobbies or other activities because it is what is important to them. These activities become their true career even if they have a “day job.” This is how John Wood’s journey began. He went on vacation to Nepal and saw the desperate need for books for school children and organized an international book drive that eventually became Room to Read with him serving as the Executive Director. His personal passion to help others became his career and he and others that have joined him are beginning to change the world.

I believe that everyone can find and embrace their passion. I also believe that it is in the nation’s interest for them to do so. Productivity is the link between an individuals personal happiness and a nation’s economic future.

If finding your passion and changing your career is too a big step. Life hack has 50 simple ways to help you increase your productivity. Sometimes it takes baby steps to move forward.

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