If You Want To Find Meaning In Your Work You Need To Change Your Mindset Towards It

Today, the search for meaning at the workplace is at its peak. Here’s how to more easily find it.

In order to be the best at what we do at the workplace and to get the greatest satisfaction out of our job, we first need to find the deeper purpose behind it all. Today, however, according to the UK economist Pawel Adrjan, “more than half of full-time workers consider pay to be more important than purpose at work or even getting a promotion.”

Consider this and now ask yourself the next question: “What do I have to change or achieve at work for it to become more meaningful to me?”

Although money is indeed one of the most important factors at the workplace, I think it may not be the biggest drive. People desire their work to be a meaningful one. As the writer Malcolm Gladwell says, “Meaningful work is work that is autonomous — one that is complex, that occupies your mind. There should be a relationship between effort and reward.”

• Autonomy — This concept implies that each employee should be allowed to think and to make decisions on his/her own; to be creative, be non-restricted. The work process should provide a sense of independence.

This is when, I think, workers take the best decisions — when they are aware of the consequences of their actions, however, knowing that they have the freedom to take them, makes them feel better and find meaning.

• Complexity — This means that your work should be engaging and complex enough for you to find meaning in it. Imagine you work for a big corporation and you earn a considerably high salary, but the activities you do are easy and boring.

Yes, some would prefer to get loads of cash and do nothing, however, for most of us that’s not the case. If our jobs are challenging and interesting enough for us, then we have the purpose of doing them. If there’s no struggle, there’s no growth.

• A direct connection between effort and reward — In this case, for everything you put in our work, you should get something back. If you see that your energy and time are rewarded adequately, you would be willing to more fully engage in your work, which would ultimately lead to higher meaning at what you do. Of course, you would find it hard to find purpose in working if you are not being rewarded accordingly.

According to a survey by BetterUP, today’s workers are willing to trade some of their money for meaning at the workplace. The results were astounding — more than 90% of the surveyed employees were willing to trade a percentage of their lifetime earnings for greater meaning at their jobs.

Evidently, workers today are somewhat desperate for finding meaning in their jobs.

Another question that arises is whether you need to have occupied a senior position in order to experience a sense of greater purpose at work. The answer is “no.”

Why?

Recently, I went to a small village in the mountains and spoke to the owner of a small fishpond farm. The farm was located on the banks of a river, surrounded by picturesque green forests and hills. It is one of these places where life seems to have slowed down, allowing everyone around to immerse in it fully. To live, to be present.

Today, I feel like the fast-paced societies we live in force us to constantly push ourselves — to work more and to become better at what we do. It tricks us into believing that we will find the ultimate purpose of life if we’re endlessly climbing up the corporate and social ladder.

This is all artificial. Success in this sense is artificial, thus purpose becomes artificial.

“I’ll find my purpose and become at last content as soon as I get the promotion I have so much worked towards.”

“I’ll be at last happy if I earn this and that amount of money.”

Well, there’s a problem with this line of thinking. As soon as we get the promotion or paycheck raise, we automatically change our perspective and aim towards an even bigger goal. So, we never become content with what we have, hence why we seldom are happy at our work.

Let’s get back to the fish farm now.

There are no promotions there, no meetings, no corporate deadlines. Only you, the fish, and nature. So, you would think, how can one possibly find meaning in such a job?

Does your workplace have to be at the top of a skyscraper to be more meaningful?

Not at all.

Set Your Intentions Straight — Who You Do It For (Besides Yourself)

Who you work for, here, doesn’t imply being under the supervision of your boss or manager. It’s more of a service idea. I’ll refer to the fish pond again. The owner and the only employee there, apart from his wife that is always by his side, sees his work as something beneficial not only for himself but also for his customers that visit the place.

His focus is on having a long-lasting impact on the people that go there. He is 70-years-old with plenty of experience in numerous fields, and singing happens to be one of them. His expertise is mainly in traditional Bulgarian Folklore music.

So, not only that the customers get to eat delicious food there, but also get to experience his singing. He genuinely wanted each person to feel special and then bring home a piece of the culture he was raised in.

The same may be said for teachers, doctors, social workers, and virtually everyone who serves others. This can also apply for corporate jobs, of course.

In this line of thought, you can set an intention that your work will aid other colleagues and/or customers.

Well, there you have it.

Your job doesn’t have to save lives or be connected to a great cause. Even the small activities you do at your workplace could make a huge impact on others.

Final Thoughts

Meaning can be found anywhere. A better-paid job doesn’t ultimately mean it is a more meaningful one.

How come a janitor could find more meaning at the workplace than a top executive at a large company? Yes, a higher position does come with some extra perks, however, stress should also be taken into the equation. Some people prefer to take the devil’s deal — sacrifice some of their inner piece, put more stress on themselves, just to find more meaning at their jobs.

Today, employees expect their managers to provide more meaning to their work more than ever. A worker with a purpose is not a disengaged one, and this should be taken into an account. Employers should make sure each of their subordinates has a sense of purpose at the workplace.

Even if employers fail to do so, each worker becomes responsible for finding his own meaning in his work; and as I said, meaning can be found anywhere.

Thank you for taking some time to read my article! If you wish to read more written by me, check my Medium page:

I also write about psychedelics and mental health. Recently, I wrote articles on whether being high makes you dumber. Moreover, there is a second part of the interview you just read about, however, this time it was on LSD: