How to find meaningful work

For most of us, we spend around 40 hours per week on the job.

Work is a massive part of our lives. We might live to work or work to live. But the one constant is the work.

With so much of our time spent in service, it’s natural to want to find meaning in what we do.

For some of us, a complete career change might be in order. Your job is average; you don’t feel challenged.

For others, it can be a little bit trickier.

Maybe your work is excellent. You can’t complain about the salary, and the people you work with are absolute gems.

But, you can’t help but feel you want more.

Something that fills your need to find a purpose or something that makes the world a better place.

Or something that challenges you and a job that takes you around the world.

You don’t need to find work that saves the world (unless that’s your passion). It’s about finding work that brings you happiness and purpose.

And, it’s okay to feel restless and to aim for something more. You just gotta know what that something is.

Here are some questions to begin your journey to find meaningful work.

Take a moment to look inwards and figure out what is meaningful for you. The easiest place to start is to look at all the things you are passionate about and gives you a sense of joy.

And you might think music, shopping or reading don’t alight to jobs.

Well, do you have a love for music? Then maybe it’s time to look for a way to get involved in the industry. If you love reading you might want to become an editor.

Take your passions seriously, they’re hints guiding you on your way.

Here are some steps you can take to find more meaning in your work.

Make a start

If you only have an inkling of where you want to be you should make a start towards it. Even if it’s small.

Once you start taking action, you’ll get a sense of what it’s like to work in the industry.

When you have an idea of what your role could look like day to day, your vision will start to become clearer and more focused.

Take a look inwards

You know what your passions are but do you know where you are going to go with it?

Time to start visualising.

Do some research and ask around. Then ask yourself the following:

Will that work make you happy? Do you think it will be fulfilling to do it every day? Would you be willing to move forward and grow?

This activity will give you a  sense of what will fill you with purpose.

Make a list of your skills

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the thought of starting again or think that you aren’t qualified enough, take heart, a lot of skills are transferable.

Things like report writing, willingness to learn and critical thinking are desirable in any workplace.

Once you know where your strengths lay you can narrow down where you can start in your new meaningful journey.

Think ahead

Make sure you have room to grow when you’re choosing your new workplace.

Sometimes taking a job that’s not your dream role, in a company you love is a great start.

Explore the company’s policies and staff engagement programs. You can pre-plan how you’ll move ahead and in a way that feels right for you.

Often our work feels more meaningful when we know it is going somewhere.

Work in a positive environment

You deserve to be in a place where people appreciate you and want to help you with your goals.

If you don’t feel like this where you work, this might be the core of your restlessness.

It could be that you can make changes in your current role to move forward.

 

Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that we are stuck or that feeling a sense of satisfaction with work is impossible.

It may take jumping over a few hurdles to get there but finding meaningful work is within your grasp.

What do you think would give your life a sense of purpose?