Although my business has evolved over the past 11 years, the underlying purpose has remained constant: To help people engage in meaningful work and successfully do what they love.
But some people take issue with this idea. “Work is called ‘work’ for a reason,” I’ve been told, and “We can’t all live in the land of puppies and rainbows.” Lately, I’ve come across more and more articles claiming that us “Do What You Love’rs” are elitist and unrealistic.
I think this may be a simple case of differing definitions.
My definition of doing what you love is this: Engaging in meaningful work. Fulfilling work that uses your passions and strengths to make a positive difference. It also means expressing love through your work because, as Kahlil Gibran so eloquently wrote, “Work is love made visible.” This might be paid employment, volunteer service, parenting, or whatever you’ve decided with intention to be your life’s work for that time. In my experience, when these criteria are met, you are doing what you love.
This doesn’t mean every moment of every day is a barrel of laughs. We all have aspects of our work we might label tedious, boring, or downright frustrating. We outsource what we can (one person’s dread is another’s passion), but other times we must, in Brian Tracy’s words, “eat those frogs.”
But think about this: The average person will spend 9 hours a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks per year, for upwards of 40 years or more at work. That’s 90,000 hours. (For a quick pie-chart visual, check out the BLS American Time Use Survey here). In essence, you will likely spend more of your adult life working than in any other singular pursuit.
How can you live a life of meaning and purpose if much of it is spent in work you detest?
If you’re not currently doing what you love, you can take several steps. Hire a coach to help you explore your strengths and strategize your options. Reconnect with what you do love about your work and fashion more of your day around that. Collaborate with others who enjoy what you dislike and vice versa. Clarify your values and make absolutely sure you’re honoring them at work (and everywhere else). Leaders, take necessary steps to ensure your team is engaged and feels appreciated.
Most importantly, recognize this: YOU bring the meaning to your work. It’s up to you. If you enter data into a computer for a living, connect with how you’re making a difference for your clients. If you lead a global corporation, identify personal stories that remind you how you serve. If you direct a nonprofit, make sure to employ self-care and get ample leadership support to avoid burnout so you can continue to make a positive impact in the world.
Steve Jobs summed it up beautifully in a moving commencement speech:
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know it when you find it.
Don’t settle, friends.
Do what you love.
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Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As a Certified Executive and Leadership Coach and the President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches executives and leaders to get unstuck – whether in your leadership ability, income level, or from spinning your wheels in the day-to-day – and flourish in meaningful work.
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