With the pro-life battle raging in the U.S. legislature, I thought that it be fitting to look at the life of the most popular pro-life saint (they are all pro-life, obviously) from the 20th century. I venture to say that just about everyone who is Catholic and actually practices their faith knows who St. Gianna is. In short, she was a physician that gave up her life in order for her child to come into the world. The great thing about her that I find most attractive – other than the fact that she was very cosmopolitan and a purveyor of the latest fashions of her day – is that she was a working professional.
She knew who she was
When most people think of saints, they think of women that give up all of their earthly desires to go and where long habits and lock themselves away in a convent somewhere. Not St. Gianna, she was a head strong woman that knew what God designed her to do. She was a physician, and proud of it. Before she met her husband, her practice was booming because she was damn good at what she did. She knew that God wanted her to practice medicine, and she never backed down from it – even when her fiancé suggested that she stop in order to stay at home with the children.
Passion is everything
So what does this all have to do with productivity and/or business? Everything! I don’t care what methods you use to motivate yourself, you will never be as happy, productive, or fulfilled unless you are doing what you are designed to do by God. That’s right, unless you love doing what you are doing you will always do it less effectively.
Now, I know what you are going to say, “but Dean, doesn’t all work glorify God if we offer it up – even if we hate it?” Of course it does, but we are not called to do work we hate just for the sake of it any less than we are called to rush off to martyrdom imprudently. If we are called to do work we loathe, then by all means we should be doing that because it’s God’s will. But if God is calling you to be an awesome web developer so that He could reach thousands of people through your talents, don’t go and be a musician because your Parish needs a cantor (we have all experienced what happens when people do that, *shudder*).
That being said, here are some resources on how to find your passion:
- How to Find Your Passion
- 7 Question to Finding Your True Passion
- How Do You Find Your Passion and Pursue It?
- 17 Ways to Find Your Passion For Any and Everything
It’s the only way you can change the world
I truly feel that because St. Gianna followed her passion for medicine, not only will she be known as the pro-life saint, she will be the means of converting medical practitioners that conduct procedures that end life – rather than save it. Through her passion, she changed – and will continue to change – the world.
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