Without a Job

Purpose, a feeling of belonging, “doing what you’re destined to be doing.”

It’s interesting in that, the current economic environment, while making I expect all of us more content with the blessings we have, has also prompted a question about the meaning and purpose behind what we’re doing.

Is it meaningful? Making an impact? Of value? Contributing to a greater good?

This article is a great reminder of the feeling that WE ALL have about the importance of belonging to something. And, that something, is another reason why I love this industry. It’s not the only way to make an impact, but it is an amazing way to contribute. Perhaps a little unconventional? Yeah. Often misunderstood? Definitely. But totally aligned to drive the destiny of some to greater heights? Unquestionably.

Find something you love, find a place you can make an impact, and as the Nike guys say: “just do it.”

Candidates for city office usually scrape by with traditional sorts of volunteers: college students, retirees, the occasional neighborhood activist.

But this year, a different crowd is landing on their doorsteps: bankers, lawyers, accountants, real estate brokers and other highly credentialed professionals, all of whom have been laid off. They are flooding the offices of even the most obscure campaigns, looking for purpose and fighting off the despondency and isolation that come with being unemployed.

“I was getting into kind of a depression, so to be a volunteer for Eduardo is like a medicine for me,” said Maria Guillen of Queens, who lost her $100,000-a-year job as a loan officer in December and is volunteering for the City Council candidate Eduardo Giraldo.

Click here to read the full story.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 11th, 2009 at 9:24 pm. It is filed under Business, Leadership and tagged with Campaign, Fulfillment, Job, Laid Off, Purpose, Umemployment, Volunteer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.