“Wasting our gifts brings anguish into our lives. It turns out that it’s not just benign or ‘too bad’ if we don’t use the gifts we’ve been given; we pay for it with our physical and emotional well-being. When we don’t use our talents to cultivate meaningful work We struggle. We feel disconnected and overwhelmed by feelings of emptiness, frustration, resentment, shame, disappointment, fear, and even grievance.” ~ Brene Brown
Whether you work for someone else or are self-employed, purpose and meaning are essential to your happiness and well-being. Research has shown that most people find that meaningful work is actually more important to them than the salary they receive or the job title.
What is meaningful work?
Meaningful work is more than just doing a job to collect a paycheck. What gives meaning to our work is doing something that serves something or others beyond ourselves.
What is significant is unique to each individual. Some people can find meaning in their work simply by changing their perspective. For the work to make sense, it is necessary understand the “why” behind your work. Try to think beyond what you are doing to who or what benefits or is enriched by what you do. How is your job important?
For many, it’s about matching their passions, talents and interests with the tasks they perform at work. What do you like to do? What are you good at? What involves you? Where your passions and talents intersect, you will find meaning.
Meaningful work will always be on alignment with your values, therefore, it is important to understand what your core values are. Take a look at how your career does or doesn’t reflect the values you hold. If you work for a company, do their values align with yours? A disconnect between your values and the values of the workplace destroys any sense of purpose and meaning.
“A meaningful career is one in which we feel an authentic connection between the work we do and a larger life purpose beyond oneself.” ~Jory Mackay
The benefits of meaningful work
When your work is meaningful:
- You are charged with more energy because what you are doing is important to you and you know that it benefits others. You have a sense of purpose.
- You are making a contribution to the larger whole in some way, which improves your satisfaction levels.
- Your ability to perform at your highest levels is supported.
- You are spending your time in a job that aligns with your values.
- You are more committed to your work, so job satisfaction increases.
- You are more excited to go to work every day.
When it goes beyond meaning
Sometimes the work can be meaningful, but other factors interfere with the satisfaction one would expect. I experienced that in my career as a lower elementary Montessori teacher when there was a change of administration in the school. Teachers were asked to do more paperwork, which could have been done in a more streamlined way. Teacher input on many topics was not valued. The entire work environment became more constrained, leaving little room for innovation.
When the work environment goes against your personal style, it erodes job satisfaction, even when doing meaningful work.
Be aware of your own work style and see where you can negotiate some changes. There may also be ways to find the wiggle room to create more freedom to work according to your own style. If not, it may be time to consider a different environment.
What is significant to you? I invite you to comment below to share your thoughts on what you find meaningful about your job, or what you envision as a meaningful career.