The CityGate Blog

Together, Lisa and Michaela synthesize what we heard across all four Spring CityGate labs. 

Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already possess. Vocation does not come from a voice out there calling me to be something I am not. It comes from a voice in here calling me to be the person I was born to be, to fulfill the original selfhood given me at birth by God. Thomas Merton In part one of this series, The Hero Season, we began to unpack what it means to be on the “hero’s hill” we build for ourselves as we develop our skills, competence, and growing expertise. This is necessary work to do well, pay our bills and contribute, hopefully, to something worthwhile. And it can often provide us with a sense of accomplishment. But whatever our daily work, there often comes a moment when we begin to realize something is missing.

Believing our best way of working is living on the Hero’s Hill might have served us well for a while, but does it really get us to the place we most deeply desire? We live in a world where productivity and performance are highly valued, so much so that we may believe “we are what we do.” but what if there is a better way? This week we explore the Hero Season of our journey—how we get there, and what it takes to step off the “hero’s hill” and begin a necessary descent.

The statistics are staggering- the Big Quit is on and shows no signs of slowing down. But is it really about jobs and work? or something deeper? Since the start of the pandemic, I have worked with many people who are seeking a change in their daily work. But starting with a job change may not be the answer to the questions they are asking. In the coming weeks I will offer a pathway forward in the quest for meaning and purpose in daily work and life. So get ready, the journey may be quite different than you imagine.

CityGate Spring 2022: We bring our meaning and purpose to our work, not expect our work to provide it.

Partnerships are both hard and necessary in a rapidly changing world, where accomplishing our goals and mission is often best done with others.

A Circle City Fellows Story of Impact: “All this happened because two people, who’ve been in the context of fellowship, had mindsets focused on ‘How we can help the city flourish?’”

A Denver Fellowship Story of Impact: “For years and years, we gave [to nonprofits] through the income of the business, which was fine,” Dave says, “until I met Denver Institute.”

It was 2016. I was two years into launching Denver Institute. One day I woke up and realized a painful truth. I have no idea what I’m doing. 

“How do you measure your results?” It’s usually not the first question I receive, and it’s not always easy to answer.