Get Started in the Process of Creating or Finding Meaningful Work

Get Started in the Process of Creating or Finding Meaningful Work





This is the time of year when people spend the most time thinking about ways that they can change or improve their life. While there is no doubt that losing weight and finding love are high on the list for many people, so is the desire to change jobs or find work that is more satisfying then what they are doing now.

It’s pretty easy to recognize what gives you meaning in your personal life…your daughter calls you from college and tells you that she loves you; the non-profit organization you’ve chaired three committees for gives you an award for making the greatest contribution, and so on. Unfortunately, it’s not always quite as easy to identify what gives you meaning in your work.

When I was doing research for my first book, I Don’t Know What I Want, But I Know It’s Not This, I surveyed 110 people asking them what their primary reason was for wanting to change jobs or careers. Over 90% of the people I talked with ranked "finding meaning" as the number one reason. Oh sure they might also have been bored or didn’t get along with their boss. However, most of these people knew instinctively that meaning was missing but when they were asked to define meaning, they couldn’t.

Understanding the ways that work can provide meaning for you takes time and honest introspection. Finding meaning in your work can denote being passionate about what you do or who you do it for, or it can simply reflect your ability to set priorities in your work to satisfy your unique needs and desires. In his book Maslow on Management, psychologist Abraham Maslow wrote, "The only happy people I know are ones who are working well at something they consider important."

Finding your meaning is a selfish act in a positive sense. Each of you is different; what is deeply meaningful to you may not matter to someone else in the least. One thing is certain – to find meaning in your work – first you must know what matters to you. You must also be able to question the nature and purpose of the work you have done in the past.

Your values are particularly important to understanding what meaning is to you. Values are what fulfill you, what motivate you and imbue your life with significance. They can range from achievement, autonomy and creativity to harmony, health and leisure. If you can’t recite your values from your heart, then the first thing you should do is figure out what they are. While you may not be able to fulfill all of your values at work, once you know what they are, you can design your work more closely to realize most of your values and find the meaning you yearn for.

Lena is 53 years old and has worked as a designer for various advertising agencies throughout her career. She originally got into advertising because she thought it would satisfy her need to be creative but has been disappointed to find that it hasn’t. Oh sure, in the beginning of her career, she was excited to be part of the advertising process however, as years have gone on, her work is so diluted by the time it turns into an ad campaign that she doesn’t even recognize her contribution and neither does anyone else. When she sat down to assess her values, she learned that while creating beauty and innovating are still strong values, so is working with people she respects, challenge, autonomy, belonging, recognition, respect and improving the world. Sadly, Lena’s job doesn’t give her any of these values.

Lena has opened her mind to possibilities such as working for a creativity institute, teaching children how to be creative, getting into holistic medicine and working as a flower or jewelry designer. She admires designers such as Michael Graves and Elsa Peretti and plans on e-mailing them to ask them for advice.

If like Lena – you don’t feel that your work has meaning for you, your loved ones or the people who are on the receiving end of your work – start by assessing your values. Write your top ten values on an index card, carry it around with you and internalize them. Once you do this, the only thing keeping you from finding meaning in your work is you! Want to take my values assessment? E-mail me at julie@juliejansen.net and I will send it to you right away.