How to Find Deeper Meaning in Your Work—Without Losing Your Soul
These four questions can point you toward deeper work.
Someone recently asked me how to find a career. There’s not really a simple answer to this question. But I thought it would be worth thinking about, because it’s a question that really applies to all of us: how do I find meaningful work or make the work that I already do more purposeful and creative?
You’ve probably heard that Americans spend around 90,000 hours at work over the course of their lifetime. That is about one third of your waking life. And we usually place enormous importance on work so that people often wonder whether the work they are doing is important, ambitious, and meaningful enough.
So I think we first need to mention an important caveat: work is not life. That place should go to your relationships: your spouse or significant other, your family, your friends, and those in your community. Work should be for the sake of other people—who are the deeper end and purpose of our lives.
Even so, the work we do is vitally important. It is a path to serve others, to gain mastery in a field, and to express our creativity. But how do we go about crafting a field of work that is both meaningful, practical, and of service to others?
Find Your Ikigai: 4 Questions about Work
You probably know about the Japanese concept of ikigai—a particular way of being in the world. It is, more broadly, a reason for living that is unique to each person. In the popular western imagination, it has also been applied to work. You can find your “ikigai” at the intersection of four questions. I love these questions because they bring together love, talent, service, and practicality:
What do you love?
What are you good at?
What does the world need?
What can you get paid for?
I would recommend thinking about these questions in that particular order (1–4). Even from a practical perspective, love and desire should be at the heart of our work. If we are bored and apathetic, our work will suffer, no matter how talented we are. But we will also generally be happier when we cultivate our talents.
These interests and talents then become more meaningful when oriented to the service of others, that is, what the world needs. And here we might want to reframe what the world really needs. I am often reminded of a quote from Howard Thurman on this point: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Your brand of creativity—of coming alive—will be a gift to the world.
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman
Finally, of course, the work needs to be practically sustainable with a paycheck. And we can also reframe this: how can I provide something of value to others so that they would actually want to pay for it? The goal here should be win-win: you “win” by with a paycheck and the other person “wins” with your great service.
Try it out: Brainstorm a list of twenty points for each of those questions and see what comes out of the wash. Don’t feel like your answers have to be perfect or reflect you in every way. Oftentimes, the most creative careers come from building surprising connections across disciplines. And consider asking others how they would answer these questions when thinking about you.
Little Steps: Finding Your Mission
Here are a few other ideas for finding a path to deeper work…
Follow Your Blisters.
In Harvard Business Review online, Dan Cable advises people not to follow their passion or follow their bliss—but to follow their blisters. Rather than looking deep into your soul and somehow intuiting what it is you’re supposed to do with your one, wild, and precious life, look at your blisters. What do you enjoy doing? What are your gifts? How do you spend your free time? And if you don’t have much free time, where would you imagine putting your free time?
Harness Your Fear.
If you do have some ideas, moving from idea to reality can be a struggle. Trying anything new is hard and scary. What if I fail? What if I look silly? What if I embarrass myself? You know what? That’s awesome. Lean into that fear. It often means you’re on the right track. While chronic anxiety is bad for our health, occasional stress can be good. If the goal you have in mind is good, reframe that fear—adrenaline and coritsol—as anticipation and energy, which can become a powerful force in moving forward. To make the most of that energy, step back and plan out some baby steps that you can easily accomplish. Then do just one.
Create space for silence.
I’ve often written about the challenge of distraction and noise. With so many voices bombarding us from the digital world, we need time for silence to hear the deep yet quiet voice within us. As we find it in the ancient prayers: “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). Social media and news outlets should not be the central voice in our lives. For those of us who are religious, we cannot hear God without spending some time in quiet meditation. Literal silence is great, but one can also cultivate an inner silence in the midst of noise and activity.
Try it out: Take several long and deep breaths, feeling your lungs expand and relax. Notice your thoughts coming and going. See what feelings arise, what desires arise, and be open to a higher wisdom—from your heart, from the words of a wise friend, or from God—that can point you forward.
And when all else fails: do not give up! Life is not linear. We often need to try—and fail—and try—and fail—and try again to find what works. And even when we find something that fits the bill, life will always be changing. We will always need to be asking these four questions, checking in with ourselves, as we build a work life that is of service to others and expressive of our deepest love and creativity.
What questions are on your mind? I’d love to hear what you think!