The 10 Truths About Finding Meaningful Work

Author’s Note: I originally published this article in LinkedIn on October 1, 2016.

Most blog posts and books about quitting your job to “follow your passion” mistakenly assume that everyone who seeks meaningful work wants to “live the dream” by starting their own venture or becoming self-employed. While this makes for a stellar Instagram photo of you chilling on the beach in a bathing suit, sipping a piña colada, with the caption, “Just quit my job to follow my dreams! #digitalnomad #freedom #winning,” it’s not good career advice and bloggers and authors should stop saying it.

The truth is that starting your own business is really hard, and it’s not for everyone. Finding the work that makes you come alive is a lot more complicated and nuanced than your Facebook news feed would lead you to believe. As part of my research for The Quarter-Life Breakthrough, I interviewed 100 highly-motivated millennials who said they had found purposeful work, and not one of them expressed the fact that it was easy.

Furthermore, their varied responses indicate that there is not one answer, rather infinite possibilities for those seeking more meaning in the workplace. Working with purpose might mean quitting your suffocating office job to start your own venture, but it could also mean sharing your gifts by working for another organization that aligns with your values, or even having your feet in both worlds; splitting your time between working for yourself and part-time for a cause you believe in.

If there’s one thing I learned from my research, it’s this: finding meaningful work is less about knowing the right answers, and more about being willing to ask the right questions. It’s about the journey to many meaningful opportunities, not the destination of any one job in particular.

A recent Gallup report revealed that 21% of millennials have switched jobs within the past year (three times the number of non-millennials), and only 29% of millennials are engaged with their jobs, making them the least engaged generation in the workplace. This is more than just fodder for a snarky Girls episode about hipster millennials quitting their jobs; millennial turnover costs the U.S. economy $30.5 billion annually.

If the majority of millennials will have at least 15-20 different jobs in their career, it’s likely that the trend of people leaving their job for something better is only going to continue. If that’s the case, it’s important we analyze the myths circulating around the “follow your passion” blogosphere that are misleading too many young people into a never-ending cycle of job-hopping, unhappiness, and disengagement in the workplace.

Myth #1: You should try to find your one true calling.

Truth #1: Nobody has only one calling. Even the so-called gurus who live in Bali and write books about finding your true calling have more than one calling.

Instead of searching for your calling, seek alignment between your work and your purpose (what you want to do for the world). I recommend finding alignment between four main puzzle pieces:

1.    Your unique gifts.

2.    The impact you want to have on the world.

3.    A supportive community you want to surround yourself with.

4.    Financial viability given your desired quality of life.

Fitting these puzzle pieces together is certainly not easy, especially in a job market where the U.S. non-employment rate among twenty-five to thirty-four-year-olds (which includes the unemployed and those who have dropped out of the labor force) is over 25 percent. It takes time and patience. But it’s not impossible either. Instead of spending days, months and years waiting for your calling to fall down from the sky, instead of wanting to find the one answer, focus on asking yourself the right questions.

Myth #2: You should look for the perfect job.

Truth #2: The perfect job may not exist, but the right job does.

Nobody’s job is perfect. Newsflash: there is a part of every job that sucks. Rather than waste time trying to make your bureaucratic job perfect, focus on the aspects of the job that you do enjoy, and the bigger picture of how you can use your job to achieve your mission. Knowing your work is purposeful, and thinking that it also must be perfect, are two very different things. Lead with purpose, not perfection.

Myth #3: You should do what you love.

Truth #3: You should serve the people you love.

The hard truth is that being an entrepreneur isn’t romantic, and doesn’t involve spending much time at the beach. Instead, it requires a lot of sacrifice. I recommend millennials think about their purpose; the type of service they want to provide, and who they care most about serving. If you want to find meaningful work, don’t do what you love, serve the people you love.

Myth #4: Only certain jobs, like the ones you read about in business self-help books (jobs at hot tech start-ups, social enterprises, B Corps, and prominent non-profits), are meaningful.

Truth #4: All work can be meaningful, the challenge is finding what’s meaningful to you.

There is dignity and purpose in all work. This is especially relevant to readers coming from privileged backgrounds; just because you would never think to become an auto mechanic doesn’t mean that being an auto mechanic is somehow less fulfilling than working at Airbnb or Warby Parker, despite the fact that Fast Company never writes about auto mechanics.

Remember: any job, however unfulfilling to you, might be incredibly meaningful to someone else. Don’t worry about whether your job or company is more meaningful than someone else’s—this is a fool’s errand—instead, discover what’s meaningful to you. Not what’s meaningful to your friends on Facebook, your parents, or your boss, but what’s meaningful to you.

Myth #5: To be an artist, you have make art 24/7.

Truth #5: You can pursue your artistic and creative passions while keeping a job that pays you well.

You don’t have to pursue your creative goals full-time, especially when you are just getting started. I quit my government job working for the Peace Corps in Washington, DC, in 2012. It wasn’t until this past year, three years later, that I was able to turn my writing and speaking practice into a profitable business that earns almost as much money as what I made at my previous job. During that time, I’ve worked part-time jobs for leadership training programs called Hive and The Bold Academy, as a copywriter for a tech company, and even as a host at a restaurant, all while practicing my speaking skills and self-publishing my first book. You may even find that working a part-time or full-time job actually helps your creative practice. Working for the Hive Global Leaders Program gave me something to write about because through my job, I was meeting dozens of millennials seeking purpose-driven work.

Myth #6: You have to be your own boss to find meaningful work.

Truth #6: Everyone is different. Meaningful work for you might mean becoming an entrepreneur, intrapreneur, or anything in between. 

Meaningful work is about finding alignment between your unique gifts and the impact you want to have, in a way that supports your desired quality of life. That might mean starting your own business, or it may mean aligning your personal mission with an organization’s mission. This world needs meaning-hungry entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs (those working within companies, creating change from the inside out).

Sometimes you can make more of a difference working for someone else. You don’t have to be your own boss to finding meaning in the workplace. You can align your personal mission with an organization’s mission.

Myth #7: You should avoid working for a large organization or resource-rich company because “working for the man” is selling out.

Truth #7: There are many advantages to working for a large organization, especially early in your career.

The opportunities for exposure, learning and growth at a large company might far outweigh the drawbacks of working in a large bureaucracy. This is not to say that you shouldn’t become an entrepreneur or work for a social enterprise, simply that you should also consider the benefits of working for a large organization early in your career.

Myth #8: You should only work at an organization where everyone thinks like you and shares similar interests.

Truth #8: You gain leverage when you do what you love at an organization where what you love is unique.

Sure, it’s still important to find organizations that reflect your values and surround yourselves with like-minded co-workers. You’ll recall that one of our key components of finding meaningful work is all about finding a community of believers. However, in a competitive job market, you may want to consider the alternative: gain exposure and career leverage by doing something you love at an organization that isn’t already doing what you love.

Myth #9: If you’re unhappy in your job, you should quit tomorrow.

Truth #9: Working a job that’s not the right fit will help you get closer to learning what is the right fit. If you are going to leave your job, quit with intention.

Let’s be real for a second: if your job is making you miserable, or it no longer aligns with your purpose, you might have to quit. Nearly one-quarter of millennials have switched their jobs in the past year, and that the average 25-34 year-old is leaving their job every three years. There’s nothing wrong with leaving your job, in fact, leaving my job was the best thing that ever happened to me (and the reason my book exists in the first place!), but if you’re going to quit your job, don’t leave tomorrow.

Instead, quit with intention. Know the reason behind why you’re leaving, and the type of meaningful work you’re striving for in your next opportunity. Be strategic about the process. Make sure you have enough money before you land your next opportunity. Think about how current position (and your current boss and co-workers) can help your next move.

Myth #10: Meaningful work is about passion.

Truth #10: Meaningful work is about patience and persistence. Career fulfillment is not Tinder; you can’t just swipe right. 

If I’ve learned anything from the process of writing a book about how millennials can find meaningful work, it’s that career fulfillment takes time. It took me four years after my transition from my government job to truly feel like I’m having the impact I want to be having on the world; empowering young people to find work that makes them come alive and makes a positive impact. Four years is a long time. There have been many bumps along the road and times when I wanted to quit. Never once did my journey feel like one of those sexy Instagram photos with the caption, “Just quit your job, follow your passion, live the dream!”

The blogosphere always talks about finding your passion. But if you can find the patience to keep learning about yourself, and the persistence to keep going when obstacles come your way, then even if you switch jobs every few years, your journey will be filled with many meaningful, life-changing opportunities.

Author’s Note: I originally published this article in LinkedIn on October 1, 2016. Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash.