What drives you? What’s the deeper current underneath, beyond what you’re good at or what you studied? What’s the reason you pour yourself into what you do?

St. Josemaría taught that this question has a bigger answer than we might expect: “Any job, no matter how hidden, no matter how insignificant, when offered to the Lord, is charged with the strength of God’s life!” (The Forge, no. 49). That conviction is freeing. When you know why you work, and for whom, you’re no longer at the mercy of external pressures, comparisons, or the fear of not being enough.

Becca is a professional chef, and she tells us that finding the why in her professional work changed the way she sees everything: the people she feeds, the care she puts into each detail, the ripple effect of small actions. In this video, she shares what she’s discovered and gives some honest advice for anyone still searching for their why.

Becca: I am a professional chef and I work in the kitchen. I work in Murray Hill Place and I take care of the people that live here, the residents that live here.

Where do you find beauty in your work?

Becca: I find that through my work and through what I do, I find that I know that with the little details and with the things that I have at hand and with the thoughts that I can put behind the actions, I am becoming a woman of impact and I can make an impact on that world, on society. 

Who do you do this for?

Becca: Seeing my vocation and joining Opus Dei allowed me to see a bigger future; that it’s not just about the people that are at hand, that are more tangible, that I’m caring for... It’s a bigger world and a bigger society. The souls that I am serving, that I’m giving a meal to, will turn around and take that beauty, or take that aspect that they saw, and give it to their own families, colleagues, and friends. For me, I see that bigger picture: it’s not just a small little bubble, and my rock that’s a pebble that’s in the ocean, will have a ripple effect on all of society. 

What advice would you give to someone who is entering the workforce?

Becca: Find what motivates you. I think for any student that is in school, you’re kind of in this limbo: “I’m learning, I’m learning what is going to help me in my career, and I’m learning these tools.” But once you graduate, you’re at this point where, okay, now I’ve got to put everything into practice. But they don't really teach you, or maybe they do, in school to find your why. Like what is driving you? What is moving you forward? 

So I think my best advice for you is to find what motivates you. Find what you’re passionate about and what is driving you for the rest of your life. Because if you don’t have what drives you or what you’re passionate about, then you’re just going to move from job to job and you won’t find true fulfillment. But I think if you find what is at your core and what you truly believe in, that will push you for the rest of your life.