Integrating Faith into your Work Life- 12 Suggestions

The speaker discusses the challenge of integrating faith into daily work, particularly in the field of human resources where decisions may not align with personal values. They emphasize the importance of finding a work environment that complements one's faith and offers suggestions on how to incorporate faith into professional life. These suggestions include clarifying personal values, setting intentions, living out faith-based values, building a supportive community, and maintaining ethical standards. The speaker shares their own experience of feeling fulfilled when able to align their faith with their work. Have you ever had one of those days where you have to make a lot of decisions at work and they're not necessarily fun decisions, but you have to do it because it's your job, and you drive home from work that day thinking, feeling gross, like you just feel gross, like you made a decision that doesn't feel true to you and who you are? I've had many of those days, and looking back, I now know what that feeling was, but at the time, I did not, and it was really difficult because I just felt icky at the end of the day, and then I would think to myself, why did I choose this, or why did I choose that? And I had to make a decision, and the decision was between bad or worse, and regardless of what the decision was, it wasn't something that I liked being the responsible person for, and unfortunately, in the world of HR and human resources, that is essentially what you're doing, is making a lot of decisions, and sometimes, especially in larger corporations, it may not match with your own personal values. And so, at the end of the day, when you're driving home from work, or you're riding home from work, you're just thinking to yourself, like, ugh, what a bad day, and you go home and you have a glass of wine, or two, or three, and you just numb the feelings, you numb it out, so that way you don't have to think about it again. Well, today's episode is all about the opposite of that, and not having that icky feeling, because it's all about integrating faith into your daily work, how it can be meaningful for you, especially if you're able to align your personal values with your professional life. So, without further ado, let's jump in. Hey there, you professional, ambitious, working mama. Welcome to the Christian Career Coach Podcast. Do you want to achieve remarkable success and experience unwavering faith in your professional journey? Do you find yourself up late at night searching for answers on how to make more money, maintain a positive work-life balance, and achieve exponential career growth? Do you wake up with big, ambitious goals, only to feel overwhelmed and uncertain when faced with setbacks, frustrations, and unexpected challenges? Well, you're in the right place. I'm Susan Edwards, and on this podcast, we tackle those exact concerns head on. We dive deep into strategies to propel your income, accelerate your career growth, and help you align your work with your faith. So, if you're tired of feeling stuck and you're ready to embrace extraordinary success, unwavering faith, and a purposeful life, then join me on the Christian Career Coach Podcast. Together, we'll navigate the obstacles, find clarity amidst chaos, and unlock your true potential. Get ready for inspiration, actionable advice, and powerful insights that will empower you to conquer your fears and create the fulfilling career you've always dreamed of. Let's walk this transformative journey together. Welcome to the Christian Career Coach Podcast, where ambition meets faith and your dreams find their wings. Hey, amazing listeners. I want to share an exciting opportunity that can help you thrive in your career while aligning with your Christian values. As a devoted Christian career coach, I offer personalized one-on-one coaching sessions designed to empower you to achieve remarkable career growth, maintain a healthy work-life balance, and increase your salary. If you find yourself yearning for more money, missing certifications, or lacking certain job qualifications, I'm here to guide you through the process. With my expertise and faith-based approach, we'll address these challenges head on and help you overcome them. Together, we'll develop strategies to bridge the gaps and position you for success. Work-life balance is crucial, especially for Christian moms with ambitious career goals. I understand the importance of maintaining harmony between your personal and professional life. Through my coaching program, you'll learn practical techniques to prioritize what truly matters, ensuring you can excel in your career while still nurturing your family and faith. Now, let's talk about career growth and the desire for a higher salary. I am here to help equip you with the tools and insights you need to advance in your profession and increase your earning potential. With personalized guidance and a faith-based perspective, we'll unlock opportunities for growth, help you negotiate your worth, and create a path that aligns with your aspirations and Christian principles. To take the first step towards transforming your career, I invite you to book a free 30-minute career clarity call with me. During this call, we'll dive into your goals, address any obstacles, and explore how Christian career coaching can accelerate your journey. Don't let missing certifications or qualifications, work-life balance concerns, or stagnant salary hold you back. Together, we'll navigate these challenges and unlock your God-given potential. To book your free career clarity call, simply visit my website at www.ForwardsCareerServices.com. Let's embark on this transformative journey towards more money, career growth, work-life balance, and a higher salary, all while staying rooted in your Christian faith. I can't wait to connect with you and guide you towards the abundant career you deserve. Visit www.ForwardsCareerServices.com today and take the leap towards a fulfilling and prosperous professional life. Hey, hey friends. Welcome to another episode of the Christian Career Coach. Today is a good one. It's all about integrating faith into your daily work. How do we do that? How exactly can we do that? This can be really hard if you are in a position of authority and you have to make decisions that affect people's lives. And although in the world of HR, I would always say, I don't terminate people. I've never fired anyone. They fire themselves. I'm just the one having the conversation with them to end the relationship. We're making decisions day in and day out, having tough conversations day in and day out can really, really get to a person. And unless you're really in sync with that company, if you really buy into the culture and you're really part of the bigger picture and everything that the company stands for, you're going to struggle. And this is really going to be hard. And it can take its toll on you. However, in the same breath, when you can be part of a team and part of a culture that you do feel completes you and doesn't go against your moral character and you don't feel like you're making decisions that could be viewed as unethical or immoral, then you actually feel good. And you can feel great going home every day and you're not losing sleep and it is easy to fall asleep. And as a Christian and as someone that has experienced both sides of this now, I decided to create a list of suggestions. And so for me, you know, thinking about my faith and what my faith means to me and how my faith contributes to my decision making, my ability to lead others and just everything within my role. I really felt like recently, especially being able to incorporate my faith into my role helps tremendously. I no longer feel like I'm working. Like I don't feel like I have a job. I feel like I get to do what I love to do in an environment that I really enjoy. And I'm not doing anything unethical, immoral, nothing that God would disapprove of. And so I wanted to talk today about how we actually can integrate our faith into our daily work and lining up our personal Christian values within our professional life. Making sure that that work-life balance really is a balance and it's based on our Christian faith. So I created this list and it's a long list. There's 12 suggestions here for helping you incorporate your faith into your daily work. And this is something I've been able to do. And so I hope that you're able to incorporate some of these things as well. First and foremost, you really need to clarify your own values. What is important to you? You've got to reflect on your faith and you need to identify the core values based on your faith, what you've learned from your faith, and what you intrinsically really feel to your core, what you value. This could include things like integrity. It could be things like humility, compassion, and even service. So first and foremost, make sure your values are clarified. The second suggestion that I have is to set intentions. Begin each workday with a moment of reflection or prayer. Make sure you set intentions for your day and ask for guidance so that you can apply your faith to your tasks and to all your interactions, all the interactions that you have with others. So clarify your values and set intentions. My third suggestion is to live your values. You need to actively practice your faith-based values in the workplace. This could be as simple as demonstrating kindness or patience, maybe even understanding in all of those interactions that you have with your colleagues. So living out your values in the workplace is the third suggestion. My fourth suggestion is to build a supportive community. I've talked about community a lot in several different episodes, but community, you know, we're not meant to live this life alone. We are meant to live in community. The Bible tells us this. It literally tells us that we are not meant to be alone. I mean, that's what happened in the beginning with Eve. Adam was alone and God didn't like that, and so he created Eve. So try to connect with like-minded colleagues who share your faith. If you've got a supportive community at your workplace, it can really help you stay grounded and provide mutual encouragement. So not just for you, but for those coworkers as well. My fifth suggestion is to maintain ethical standards. This is one that really tugged at my heart a lot in actually a couple of my previous roles where I just felt sick at the end of the day. I just did not feel good. I didn't feel happy about decisions that were made, and it was hard to maintain ethical standards. So if you're able to adhere to ethical principles that align with your faith, you'll be much happier at the end of the day. And this could be things like making decisions that really do prioritize honesty, fairness, social responsibility, all of those things that are positive decisions. Okay, the next suggestion that I have is for you to offer support. Be open to supporting your colleagues in times of need. If you can offer a listening ear, maybe share words of encouragement or even provide assistance whenever possible. It was a tough role for me to be in as the HR director and having employees ask me for money. Now, I'm sure I'm not the only person that works in HR that's been asked for money from employees, and I know what these employees make per hour. And knowing that they're struggling to make ends meet, you know, and having to make sure I'm not muddying the waters by allowing one employee to borrow money from me but not another was a tough decision that I had to make on a regular basis. I'm thankful that I don't have to do that anymore, but I was always there to listen and provide any kind of encouraging words. I loved to do that. I still love to do that. You know, it's one of my favorite things when I'm coaching clients is encouraging others. Okay, number seven that is on my list is to practice gratitude. And I think I've spoken about this several times in several different episodes as well, but gratitude, if you are rooted in gratitude, it is hard to be mad or sad or upset about anything. And gratitude comes from God. It comes from the Bible. I would encourage everybody to incorporate gratitude into your daily routine. Learn how to recognize and appreciate the positive aspects of your work. And then be thankful. Be able to express your thanks for opportunities and challenges because they all contribute to your growth. So even when things bad happen, even in bad situations, there is a lesson to be learned. There is daily challenges that you face. And if you learn to approach them with an attitude of gratitude, who's heard that before? Have an attitude of gratitude. But if you can face your challenges with gratitude, you'll learn to see it from a different angle. And you'll learn to see that there is something that can be learned from everything, even the bad things. Okay, number eight on my list of suggestions is balancing work and life. I know I talked about this earlier, but you've really got to strive for a healthy work-life balance. This could involve setting boundaries, prioritizing family and your personal time, and then recognizing the importance of rest and rejuvenation. As a mom, I know it's hard. It is hard to, especially that last part, the rest and rejuvenation part, you know, when does a mom ever have time to herself to actually rest and focus on yourself? Never unless you make it a priority. Unless you can prioritize yourself, you're never going to have the time to do it. But also making sure that your job knows that it's your job and you have a personal life and you have a family that you love and that you want to spend time with. And it is a priority for you, especially as a Christian. So learning to balance, you know, work and life is something that you definitely need to do. Okay, the next one on my list is probably one of most importance, and it is integrating faith into your decision-making. So anytime that you have to make a decision, if you're faced with a decision, consult your faith for guidance. Consider how your choices align with your beliefs and principles. And when all else fails, close your eyes and pray about it or open up God's word and look for the answer in there. So integrate your faith in your decision-making. And the more you do this, the better you'll get at it. So I would even start small with small decisions. You know, what do you drink, water or soda? How can you integrate faith into that? Well, what would the Bible say? What would God want me to choose? We should get those bracelets back from the 90s, you know, the WWJD bracelets. What would Jesus do? He's going to choose the option that nourishes his body, not the soda. He's going to choose the water. So integrate it in the small decisions, and it will become easier in the bigger decisions. Okay, number 10 on my list of suggestions is to pray for colleagues and pray for your work environment. Include your colleagues and your overall work environment in your daily prayers. If you like to pray in the morning or at night or even throughout the day, make sure you include your colleagues and that overall work environment. If you can pray for the well-being of others, it can foster a sense of connection and shared purpose. So don't forget about those colleagues. You spend a whole life with them. I mean, you're with them 40 hours a week almost, maybe 30 hours a week, maybe more, maybe 50 or 60 or 70 hours a week. You're spending with these folks. You know their stories. You know their lives. You know their troubles. You know their families. You know what their struggles are. So be sure to pray for them. Okay, number 11 on my list is continuous learning. Explore ways to deepen your understanding of how your faith intersects with your profession. Attend workshops, seminars, or engage in discussions that integrate faith and work. This is something that I'm still, you know, I strive to do on a regular basis. It's not just looking for those events that will enhance my career, but how will they do that while staying true to my values and my Christian faith. So continuous learning is that 11th suggestion. And then my final 12th suggestion that I have for you is to be a positive influence. You want to strive to be a positive influence in your workplace. You can demonstrate the positive impact of your faith by promoting a culture of respect, collaboration, and compassion. It's the old saying, live like Jesus. What would Jesus do in these situations? He would have been a positive influence. He definitely would have helped to promote this culture of respect, even in difference of religions, even in difference of opinions, indifferences, any differences. It was a culture of, he would, he represents a culture of respect. Also collaboration and compassion. You know, if you can be a positive influence, others will look to you and you never know who you could be influencing just by the way you behave and the way you speak, the way your demeanor is. You never know what kind of impact you might be having on somebody in the workplace. So although these are my 12 suggestions for integrating faith into your daily work, you know, how you can actually incorporate your faith into your daily work. You know, it is important to remember that the way you integrate your faith into your work, it's obviously, it's going to be personal and it's going to be unique to your beliefs. It's also important to be respectful of different perspectives in the workplace, all while staying true to your own values. So you can certainly, not just in your workplace, I mean these crazy conversations that have come up so much in the last few years regarding politics and just the division that has happened in the last, I don't know, 8 years, 10 years in this country. You know, there is a way to communicate and get along and be respectful of each other, all while staying true to your faith and to your belief system. So hopefully you're able to incorporate at least one or two of these suggestions into your daily life. And, you know, I wish you the best of luck when it comes to this because I know what a struggle it can be, especially if you're in an environment that doesn't necessarily breed a religious type of atmosphere. If you're uncomfortable talking about your religion, then, you know, that's all about the culture of the company. And I hope and I pray that you're not in that type of environment, but if you ever find that you are, you can take some of these suggestions and incorporate it. And maybe bit by bit, person by person, if you can change one person and that person changes another person and you can change another person and that just starts to grow and grow and grow. And I think that's something that our Christian faith could definitely use at this time in history, definitely, for sure. And going towards the end of 2023 here, the world could definitely use a bit more Christian faith. And, you know, if you can get someone else to walk with God and still be professional and ambitious and still have this thriving career, then kudos to you and keep doing what you're doing because you're doing it right and you're doing what the Lord has called you to do as his messenger. So have a great week and I will see you in the next one. Hey there, Ambitious Mama, I hope you enjoyed today's episode of the Christian Career Coach Podcast. If it resonated with you and provided valuable insights, I'd love for you to take just 30 seconds and share this episode with a fellow Christian professional who may benefit from the career advice and inspiration. Together, we can uplift and empower more women on their professional journeys. And don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. Oh, and one more thing that would mean the world to me. Could you leave a review? Your feedback and support light me up and let me know that this podcast is making a positive impact in your life. As we continue this journey together, remember that you're not alone. I understand the joys and challenges of being an ambitious mama, and I'm here to cheer you on every step of the way. So march your calendar because I'll meet you back here next Tuesday for another episode filled with valuable insights and practical tips. Until then, keep chasing your dreams, balancing your roles with grace, and shining brightly in your career and family life.