There are doctors who see their work only as a job, and janitors who see their work as a calling.No matter what job you have, you can find meaning in it. Rewrite your job description to be more calling-focused. Think of your own personal goals in life. How can your current job tasks be connected to this larger purpose?

You can find meaning in any work

<ul><li>People with a job see work as a chore and the paycheck as their reward. </li><li>People with a career like the concept of advancing and succeeding.</li><li>People with a calling find their work fulfilling and think it feels meaningful.</li></ul>

The three visions of work

<ul><li>Jot down a mandatory work task you find devoid of meaning—something you dread.</li><li>Ask yourself what the purpose of the task is and write it down.</li><li>Ask yourself what this result leads to. Write it down.</li><li>Continue this process until you find a meaningful result.</li></ul>

Find meaning in your job

Unsurprisingly, people with a calling orientation not only find their work more rewarding, but work harder and longer because of it. And as a result, these are the people who are generally more likely to get ahead. But those who don't have a calling mindset needn't despair.

productivity

Productivity

career

Career

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

problemsolving

Problem Solving

How to Find Meaning in Your Job

If you’re always keeping your options open, you’re constantly second-guessing yourself and that makes you unhappy.The moment we commit to something, we start being happier with whatever we decided on. This downside is only relevant when there is no new information coming in. Adapting in uncertain situations, when we're still learning new things, makes us better.

Always adapting and never committing

In the last decades, organizations are increasingly becoming more global, complex, and demanding of workers’ time. In the always-on, always-connected work environment, boundaries are overlapping and combining.  If you can’t adapt, can’t see situations in versatile ways, can’t find meaning in the most dreary circumstances, you might not survive.

The modern workplace

There needs to be a balance between adapting and committing.Committing–and concrete thinking–might be what’s needed in a strictly controlled environment where no new information is coming in. But, change is inevitable. The visionary, abstract thinking–the adaptive, who sees the big picture, will be able to apply learned lessons, respond to change, and stay relevant.

Find a balance

Why am I doing this?  Ask yourself why until you understand your actions and decide how to reach your goal. For instance, ask yourself why you are doing this job. If your answer is to get paid, then ask yourself, Why do I want higher pay? If the answer is so you can have a better life, then force yourself to answer the third “why”: Why do I want a better life?

Start with “why”

The downsides to always adapting, always flexible, always changing gears could lead to a lack of direction and commitment. In turn, a lack of direction could lead to failure. We don’t want to entertain the possibility that it might fail. We just imagine that things are definitely going to work.

The downsides of too much adapting

It is probably better to say "this might work" when you start because you’ll be much more alert to take in signals, new information, tweak it, adjust it, adapt, or maybe just stop. Think about your actions as experiments that generate information rather than definitive decisions. It will make it easier to move forward, adapt, and adjust.

“This might work” vs. “This is going to work”

In a crisis, what is it that enables some people to push through and come out the other end seemingly unscathed, while others crumble in the face of extraordinary challenges? For the prominent neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, it was the search for meaning in the experience of the Holocaust that gave him the will to survive.

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

This is how to reframe your thinking and find more meaning in your work

Provide digital self-assessment tools and the types of personal exploration exercises that facilitate reflection.   These mechanisms can help employees identify personal sources of fulfillment to make work more meaningful.

Make space to create meaning

Culture is much more about what you do than what you say. Leaders need to share authentic stories about their experiences of finding meaning and activating purpose. Identify informal leaders who can energize their co-workers and create momentum around purpose.

Create a culture that embodies purpose

Formal employee programs and activities, such as rotational opportunities, innovation labs, reverse mentoring and milestone experiences, can help employees build deeper, more diverse relationships while promoting growth.

Provide the right amount of structure

Deepening relationships is a key source of fulfillment.Shared experiences help employees come together in ways that build meaningful connections and trust. Activities that provide a common purpose — such as an escape room game or a hackathon — are especially effective.

Build strong teams

Corporate leaders worried about attracting new talent in the coming year can take a cue from John Heinen's experience. Three years ago, John was enjoying his job as a senior manager in PwC's IT Business Management group. He felt challenged and believed he was contributing to the firm's success, which was important to him.

corporateculture

Corporate Culture

This Is What Happens When You Find Meaning In Your Work

Consider your personality and interests and think thoughtfully about how you want your skills to help others.Maybe you’re an outgoing content marketer who wants to start using your data research skills more to come up with a strategy.You’re looking for an overlap between all three—personality, interests and skills. Then you'll be able to more accurately integrate your purpose into your current position.

Identify and embrace your purpose

You’re never going to get anywhere or accomplish anything if you don’t make an effort.Building a life that matters requires participation.

Participation

It doesn’t matter how big your paycheck is or what your title is to find meaning in your work.What matters is 'why'. Figure out what you care about to give you direction and that sense of purpose.<ul><li>“Why do you wake up in the morning?"</li><li>"How will you make an impact?"</li><li>"How can you put your talents and gifts to use?"</li></ul>

Your "why" matters

"You can find meaning in any job-even if it sucks," explains Adam Smiley Poswolsky, author of the new book The Quarter-Life Break-Through . I've got to hand it to Poswolsky: Taking this topic and making it accessible is no easy task.

habits

Habits

timemanagement

Time Management

How to Find Meaning in a Job That Feels Meaning-less

A recent survey found that the average worker would give up $21,000 a year in exchange for a workplace role that always offered them meaning. Employees who derive meaning from their work are more than <a href="https://theenergyproject.com/">three times as likely</a> to stay with their organizations.

Finding meaning

There’s always some level of personal investment in your work.If what you're doing has a positive impact, it adds up and makes you feel proud of what you’re working on.

Personal engagement

Define what meaningful work means to you.Find your own personal satisfaction and connection to your work. It could be the people you work with or a project you are passionate about.

How to find meaningful work

How much is meaningful work worth to you? A found that the average worker would give up $21,000 a year in exchange for a workplace role that always offered them meaning-whether that's personal or professional growth opportunities, the chance to do work that betters the lives of others, or having a clear shared sense of purpose within the company.

How to Find Meaning in Your Job

This is how to reframe your thinking and find more meaning in your work

This Is What Happens When You Find Meaning In Your Work

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How to Find Meaning in a Job That Feels Meaning-less

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