Photo by Tom

I have written in previous posts about the issue of a growing lack of meaning in our life. Specifically, I would like to highlight in this post the role our choice of work and professional pursuits play in contributing to the level of fulfillment we experience in life.

How do we choose our profession? We decide it based on whatever offers the best mix of career prospects, financial rewards, status, security and challenge in the overall context of our skills. Why are so many people not that happy with their work then?

A variety of research reveals the lurking sense of dissatisfaction among a large proportion of the employee workforce. A leading indicator of this is the level of employee engagement in the workplace. Towers Perrin, a leading employee research and consulting firm, found only 17% of 35,000 employees surveyed as ‘highly engaged’; studying over 20,000 diverse employees, Harris Interactive concluded that only 37% of the employees had a clear understanding of what their organization was trying to achieve and why and only one in five was enthusiastic about their team’s and organization’s goals.

While the leaders of the organizations have a role to play in correcting this dismal situation, through greater empowerment, creating opportunities for greater learning and growth, better matching employees’ skills and jobs, and employing a more of a coaching style to leadership, this state is a reflection of the prevailing confusion at the individual employee level. Either we are in a job that doesn’t match our skills or we are pursuing it for the wrong reasons. Lacking clarity about the core purpose of our professional life, we are easily swayed by what seems like a popular ladder to climb. For example, with disregard to their real interest or aptitude, we have hordes of MBAs chasing investment banking or consulting jobs. Looking out for quick success, individuals are then disappointed at any pace of personal growth that’s slower than expectation.Besides, attuned to constant comparison, we are quick to feel dissatisfied when our progress appears undermined by someone else’ faster advancement. Focused on financial rewards, we find the compensation we had earlier aspired for no longer enough to meet our fast growing aspirations. Alternately, we come to recognize the emptiness of single-mindedly chasing financial rewards. Further, for reasons of their personal emotional make-up, many employees search for perfection in their work, boss and rewards, and are easily dissatisfied at the mix the job offers. Clearly, their engagement levels suffer. In addition, for many, there’s a strong correlation between work and life – in fact, work indeed is their life, and their sense of identity is drawn purely from the work they do. With such a strong identification, any ups and downs at work have an immediate impact on their emotional and mental well-being, and consequently on their state of happiness.

Several of my clients also feel conflicted between their deepest values and what they get accustomed to revering at work. Over time, they observe that their actions and behavior are not necessarily in alignment with their core personal values and that’s the underlying source of discontentment for them.

With lack of clarity of purpose, it is not surprising that people hit some kind of a dead end at some stage in their careers, when their achievements thus far fail to provide a greater meaning in life and they start to experience a sense of incompleteness. Occurring commonly in people’s forties, it is sometimes referred to as the ‘mid-life crisis’. We are then keen to search for the work that will fulfill that void.

While reflecting on your professional life, the key issue you need to address for yourself is what are you really after – is it a job, a career or your calling? A detailed study of attitudes and general orientation towards work, done in 1997 by Dr. Amy Wrzesniewski, a professor of business at the New York University, showed workers broadly divided into three groups – those who saw their work as a job, those as a career, and finally those as their calling.

The people in the first group are in employment because they really need the money to run their household. While the socio-cultural aspects of the work place can have a positive influence, the monthly paycheck is of paramount importance to them. They would perhaps be willing to consider moving to another organization for a higher salary. The second group is focused on building a career – they are driven more by the position, career growth, opportunity for recognition, and the prestige of their roles. While they tend to have a longer-term perspective towards their work, they can easily get demotivated when their string of promotions begin to slow down or stop. Finally, there are a small percentage of people, who are engaged in what is their true calling. They have a deeper connection with their profession, are inspired by their purpose, and then every day, work is like play for them.

In that background, it’s critical to explore whether you are pursuing a job, a career, or your true calling? Do you want that investment banking job because of its lucrative prospects or because you find true meaning in your work? Are you engaged in your current business because of the social change it brings about or the money and the status? We are so consumed by our whirlwind of activity that we don’t even have the time to stop and reflect on these issues. While we are preoccupied with climbing the corporate ladder, rarely do we pause and wonder if our ladder is leaning against the right wall in the first place. Some of us do end up creating the time and space to discover these answers but then hesitate to follow them through for varied reasons – fear of stepping out of comfort zone or perception of low potential rewards or other apprehensions. Deliberating on these thoughts can help us guide towards our true purpose and calling.

As Woodrow Wilson remarked, “We are not here to merely earn a living and to create value for our shareholders. We are here to enrich the world and make it a finer place to live. We will impoverish ourselves if we fail to do so.”

I believe each one is uniquely gifted and has a special purpose on earth. Such a calling is likely to bring forth those of your unique talents that you most delight in being engaged in – the ones that you were meant to bring to this planet and the ones that serve some meaningful purpose for the society. In a way, the true calling optimally integrates your responses to the following three questions:

– What do you love doing the most?
– What are you really good at?
– What social need would such a pursuit serve?

The Buddha preached an eightfold noble path as means for one’s awakening. Among Right speech, Right effort, Right action, Right mindfulness, Right concentration, Right understanding and Right view, he also recommended Right livelihood. Finding one’s calling, and engaging in the work associated with that, takes us a step closer to what the Buddha referred to in Right livelihood.

As we determine our calling and make a conscious choice to follow it, we take a leap towards creating a happier and fulfilling life!

Related Search Terms:
How to choose a Career /Midlife career change advice /Changing career at 30