<ul><li>Bruce Feiler analyzed 400 people to find out what makes some people love what they do and others feel frustrated.  </li><li>He found that people who are happiest and most fulfilled don't climb; they dig by looking inward. </li><li>Ask yourself questions like "If you could do one thing to be happier at work today, what would it be?" to find your ideal role. </li> </ul>

Dig Into The Stories

Sure, some people <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-set-career-goals-for-new-year-expert-tips-2022-12">set a goal and achieve it </a>, but far more people rethink their priorities, adjust their passions, and break away from stifling expectations. My data shows that the average person goes through 20 "workquakes" in the course of their lives — that's one every 2 1/2 years. A workquake is a disruption in which you're either forced to  —  or choose to — rethink or reimagine your work life.

Imagine How You Work

The ... mistake people make in a workquake is to look too quickly for a new job. The reason: You'll succeed! You'll <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-things-do-looking-for-new-job-2018-12">find a new job </a>— but soon enough you'll be back where you started, asking the wrong questions and getting the wrong answers. ...the smartest people realize that the biggest impediment to finding meaningful work is not what you don't know about work. It's what you don't know about yourself. You can <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-happy-job-hopping-quit-without-backup-oliver-wyman-2023-1">bounce from job to job</a>; but if you don't tap into the earliest tensions, frustrations, and longings of your life—the personal work scripture unique only to you — you'll never be happy.

Ask Yourself The Right Questions 

The biggest mistake people make in a workquake is to look too quickly for a new job. The reason: You'll succeed! You'll <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-things-do-looking-for-new-job-2018-12">find a new job </a>— but soon enough you'll be back where you started, asking the wrong questions and getting the wrong answers.Instead, the smartest people realize that the biggest impediment to finding meaningful work is not what you don't know about work. It's what you don't know about yourself. You can <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-happy-job-hopping-quit-without-backup-oliver-wyman-2023-1">bounce from job to job </a>; but if you don't tap into the earliest tensions, frustrations, and longings of your life — the personal work scripture unique only to you — you'll neve<warningtag>r be happy. </warningtag>

As Mark Savickas, a professor at Kent State University and the dean of modern career studies, told me, "The answer is not in society. It's not in test scores. It's already inside you." He calls this untapped internal wisdom your "unknown known" and says any successful job search requires giving the searcher "the tools and the confidence to unlock the story they've already been writing for years — even decades."

Continue Your Story 

<ol><li>What are the prominent values or virtues of work you learned from your parents? </li><li>What are the prominent downsides or shadows of work you learned from your parents? </li><li>Who is the most influential person in your work choices right now?  </li><li>I want to be the kind of person who ___________. </li> </ol>

Who?

<ol><li>Other than family, who were your role models as a child? What qualities did you most admire in them? </li><li>What's the best thing about your work today? The worst thing? </li><li>Do you have a hope job like writing a screenplay or selling pickles at the farmer's market? </li><li>Do you have a ghost job like confronting self-doubts, staying sober, or battling discrimination? </li><li>I want to do work that ___________. </li> </ol>

What ? 

<ol><li>What environments were you most drawn to as a child? </li><li>What environments are you drawn to today?  </li><li>I want to work in a place where _________. </li> </ol>

Where

<ol><li>Are you starting a new work story or continuing an ongoing one?  </li><li>Which do you fear most: staying in your current position or leaving? </li><li>I'm at a moment in my life when _________. </li> </ol>

When?

<ol><li>Did you have a toothache as a child — a problem you wanted to solve or a dilemma you wanted to resolve? </li><li>What kinds of stories do you like?  </li><li>My purpose right now is ___________. </li> </ol>

Why?

<ol><li>What's the best advice you ever received about work? </li><li>If you could do one thing to be happier at work today, what would it be? </li><li>The best advice I have for myself right now is ____________. </li> </ol>

How?

In a world filled with questions and decisions it really is best to pause, ask, and listen. Then act. 

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How to find a job you love: 21 questions to ask

Nothing compares to the joy of coming home to a loyal companion. The unconditional love of a pet can do more than keep you company. Pets may also decrease stress, improve heart health, and even help children with their emotional and social skills.

More Than Just A Pet

Scientists are looking at what the potential physical and mental health benefits are for different animals—from fish to guinea pigs to dogs and cats.“There’s not one answer about how a pet can help somebody with a specific condition,” explains Dr. Layla Esposito. “Is your goal to increase physical activity? Then you might benefit from owning a dog. You have to walk a dog several times a day and you’re going to increase physical activity. If your goal is reducing stress, sometimes watching fish swim can result in a feeling of calmness. So there’s no one type fits all.”

It's Not A 'One Pet Fits All' Solution

The NIH/Mars Partnership is funding a range of studies focused on the relationships we have with animals. For example, researchers are looking into how animals might influence child development. They’re studying animal interactions with kids who have <a href="https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/09/autism-spectrum-disorder">autism </a>, <a href="https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2014/09/focusing-adhd">attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) </a>, and other conditions. NIH is funding large-scale surveys to find out the range of pets people live with and how their relationships with their pets relate to health.

Discovering Relationships

“Dogs are very present. If someone is struggling with something, they know how to sit there and be loving,” says Dr. Ann Berger, a physician and researcher at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. “Their attention is focused on the person all the time.” “The foundations of mindfulness include attention, intention, compassion, and awareness,” Berger says. “All of those things are things that animals bring to the table. People kind of have to learn it. Animals do this innately.”

The Wisdom Of Pets

Why do we feel a connection to our  pets ? There are some real benefits. 

Scientists are looking at how different types of pets can affect your mental and physical health.

How to find a job you love: 21 questions to ask

The Power of Pets

Angie R