Do you dread heading into your job every morning or logging on to your computer from home and signing in for the day? Have you taken inventory of why you feel this way? It’s very possible that you don’t look forward to going to work because your job doesn’t feel meaningful to you. In other words, you feel like your everyday duties aren’t important or don’t lead to your greater goals in life. If this is the case, here are a few things to think about that might lead to finding a job that is more meaningful to you.
Analyze your passions.
Quite simply, think about what gets you fired up. These are your passions. They are the issues that you think make a difference in the world. So, are there topics at the dinner table with your friends that you get excited about? Maybe you can turn one of these into a career. For example, perhaps you are passionate when talking about everyone needing safe housing and not just those who are considered wealthy. If so, you could head down the road of learning about fair housing and how you could get involved.
Where can you add value?
When you’re just trying to make a paycheck, it may not be possible to look for ways you can actually add value to a customer’s life. But as you further in your career and financial stability, it’s easier to look for ways you can improve people’s lives which is bound to feel more meaningful. One way to do this is to also look at ways to improve follow up with customers and see how you can continue to provide customer service so that they are happy post-purchase and for years to come.
Small actions matter.
To find meaning at work, don’t think it just has to mean doing something big. In actuality, actions that would be considered small are also impactful. When you add up a bunch of these small actions, it can really make you feel that you’re involved in something meaningful. It may mean making a small change to a feature on a product or improving how you provide customer service after purchase. Small actions like this add up over time and can start to connect you more to your job and therefore, feel more meaningful.
In the end, defining what is meaningful at work is very individual. So, one of the most important steps to finding a job that is meaningful to you is tapping into what makes you happy both in and out of work. Be careful not to just chase a job that seems like it’s going to make a huge impact in the world and not be happy with anything short of that. These tips will allow you to find meaning where you might not expect it.
References:
https://community.themomproject.com/the-study/how-to-find-meaningful-work-that-matters-pays-well