4 Ways To Build A More Meaningful Career
When you spend the majority of your waking hours in the office, it follows that how you spend those hours at work can positively or negatively affect your life. Naturally, you’ll want it to be the former. Otherwise, you’re going to dread your job and how it sluggishly affects your life. If you want to live a happy and content life, your career should also positively contribute to that, rather than pull your quality of life down.
As a brand-new year is about to open, there’s no better time but now to evaluate your current career. You can create that change in your life from today, moving forward, by aiming to build a more meaningful career.
Check out the ways below:
Serve Others
Are you currently in a workplace where you can help and serve others? If you aren’t, then perhaps you’d like to find another company with a more holistic work experience. You see, reporting to work every day should be more than just about receiving the payment for your work. Yes, you work because you need to get paid. However, money isn’t enough to bring satisfaction and meaning to your career and life.
Many companies today include volunteer or service work as a part of their philosophy and company practice. Generally, attendance in those activities isn’t required, but it’s a plus if you can take an active role in some of them.
Being a part of a company that serves others can help boost that feeling of happiness and contentment in your job. It enables you to make a difference, and that’s enough driving force to keep you going.
Need any ideas to start? Khadim Bâ’s entrepreneurship and youth article may just give you that boost.
Understand Your Preferences
When you look for the definition of a meaningful career is, you’ll find there isn’t a uniform approach or definition as to what is it about. The bottom line is that it still goes back to personal preference. Hence, the need for you to ask yourself what, to you, is a meaningful career.
Understand what your preferences, interests, skills, and goals are. When those are centered in your career, that’s when you can say your career has meaning. You’ll have that authentic connection with your job, as it gives you satisfaction and contentment.
Think Long Term
If you’ve been jumping from one job to another, that’s a sign you haven’t found a job that’s meaningful enough for you yet. Once you stay, it signals that you’re happy where you are.
Therefore, another effective way to build a meaningful career is to think for the long term. Don’t focus only on the now, or your near future. Don’t just ask yourself what job you want. Rather, start with the question of what life you want to have. That way, you can choose a career that can positively contribute to that pursuit.
When you think long term, you’ll have contentment and happiness in the job you hold. It’s like feeling your job finally has meaning to you and your life.
Find Like-Minded People
It’s not just the company’s goals, philosophies, and practices that make up an organization. Rather, it’s also largely composed of the people who work in the organization. You’re never going to feel like you have a meaningful career when you walk into your workplace feeling aloof or as if you’re a stranger. Or, perhaps your values don’t align with the company culture created by its employees.
Thus, take a moment to assess your current situation. Do you feel like you’re working with like-minded people? Or, are you not happy with the company culture or politics that’s going on? If the latter is true, it may be time for you to start looking for a new job.
When you let go of that one that doesn’t contribute to a meaningful career and life, you may just be opening your doors to an organization of like-minded people. This can make your days feel happier and more grounded.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, you’re one of most individuals who desire to bring more meaning and purpose to their careers. The last thing you’ll want is to spend almost your entire day lurking around your work desk, doing something you don’t genuinely care about. Not only are you wasting your time, but you’re also hurting your ability to maximize your potential. Don’t let this scenario go on in your life. More than the pay you receive, your career should bring meaning to your goals and life in general. Take the tips above, one at a time, and soon enough, you’ll be one step closer to building a more meaningful career.