Thinking about a new job? Think about personal meaning.
It’s really common at the start of a new year to think about getting a new job. If you’re unhappy at work I’d say go for it. After sleeping, we spend more time at work than anything else. Being unhappy at work flows into all other aspects of our life, and not in a good way. In a nutshell, life is too short to be unhappy at work.
Some of you will have that cautionary voice in your head saying “better the devil you know”. As you think about “do I stay or do I go” I’d like to share a concept with you that has profoundly and positively impacted my happiness at work. I hope it helps you assess your opportunities this year.
A quick google search for the ingredients of a happy life returns thousands of hits. Items on the lists vary, but a common theme is the idea that happiness comes from being part of something greater than ourselves. If we pause and think about our current jobs, we can all rationalise how it is greater than ourselves. A banker is part of greasing the wheels of the economy, for example. For a long time I worked in one of New Zealand’s largest construction businesses. I was part of helping communities with improved infrastructure and warm, dry homes. The question is, when you think about that greater good, does it give you personal meaning?
How much weight do we typically put on the impact of our work and our personal connection to it when we are considering whether our current or a potential future role is right for us? Sadly not enough in my opinion.
But I’m not judging! I came to this realisation about personal meaning at work relatively late in my career, partly due to having held many busy roles that included lots of complex projects and personal learning challenges. The sheer busy-ness of it all allowed me to skirt the question of whether the work was personally meaningful for years!
Over my years in corporate work I observed firsthand the massive difference between people who really love their jobs and those who were in it, but somehow not fully in it. People who had a personal connection to their work tended to go the extra mile, learn more and faster, try things and embrace change - because they could see the bigger picture of how their work benefited others.
When I finally turned the lens on myself, I realised that I had been in the category of ‘doing it because I could, not because I really loved it’ for far too long. It spurred the formation of amp’d, and our purpose of unleashing the potential of all people to find joy in work.
The idea of having a life‘s purpose can seem like a lofty and unattainable goal for many, and I wonder if that is why so many people don’t bother trying to figure it out. I believe it is more attainable to think about how our work makes a difference to others, and whether that has personal significance. We know from research that if we can find an occupation that is personally meaningful, that we are far more likely to:
be committed to the work
want to learn more and build more skills
put in extra effort
have better mental health and resilience because it just FEELS good to be doing what we are doing because of the positive impact it has. Getting up on Monday is no longer a chore!
I hope this has provided some food for thought if you’re considering a change this year.
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