Career Building: There is meaning in it all...right?

Do you recall those commercials that showed people in a well manicured suburban neighborhood, all leaving their homes, getting into their cars and driving to work…all at the same time! You probably watched, as I did, thinking that’s funny because that doesn’t really happen. Or does it? Have you ever stopped to think about your day? Your routine each morning, afternoon and evening? Do you operate on auto-pilot? Finding yourself arriving at work without remembering how you got there?

Better still, at the end of each year when you’re ready to set intentions and goals for the next year, do you or can you remember how much you grew in your job or career? Do you only recall the highlights – and a few of the lowlights? I know, I know…a lot of questions. So what’s my point? If you cannot or do not realize the growth and learning your career provided you, I could argue that you haven’t found really meaning in your job or career. Bringing meaning to your career provides you with a richness that expands you. Careers are not meant to be only one part of your life; they should complement your life! Adding unto it! Since we spend so much of our lives working, imagine discovering something in your work that creates a deeper sense of learning, growth….fulfillment!

Creating or finding meaning in your career makes it much more interesting and rewarding. Think of adding whipped cream to a banana split or adding granola to plain vanilla yogurt. You just enjoy it more. So how can you create more meaning in your career?

Some examples of creating more meaning…
- When the work you do adds to your life in more than a monetary way
- When it provides more than a place to go each day
- When the skills and talents you’re developing can be "reused" outside the workplace
- When you see what you do can make a difference for you or others

You can also start by identifying what skills you’re developing in different areas of your work life. For example, what administrative skills do you possess? Sending a tightly worded, net email to a superior is a skill that people take classes to learn! Do you know how to get to a meeting and still leave time to do actual work, without working all night? How about the way you navigate office politics – don’t think that’s a skill? Think again…

In isolation, a career can bring you rewards both monetarily and professionally. Beyond that, without finding meaning, it’s no different than working on autopilot. Then at the end of the day, at the end of the year, at the end of your career…you’re wondering, what it was all for; what difference did it all make… Wouldn’t it be more rewarding to know that what you’re doing day in and day out means more to you than a paycheck? How would you "be" each day when you leave for work? What opportunities would you look for or learn from to share?

Create your skills list and then decide how else that knowledge could be used. What else could you learn that would bring you and create for you, increased value? When you share what you know, you deepen your knowledge and get an incredible sense of satisfaction.

Meaning – it’s not only what you attach to something, it’s also what you can create in your job or career to add more value to a successful life!