Livin' the Purpose!

You (might) love your job. You just (maybe) forgot why.

For the last 3 years, I worked in the field of helping law firms and legal departments find lawyers, and lawyers find jobs.

This was a daily immersion talking to lawyers about their job satisfaction, and sometimes dis-satisfaction.

My unscientific findings - many are privately suffering from what they at least THINK is dislike for their work, and wondering whether they will benefit from a job change (which In some cases is surely true).

But maybe, just maybe, deep introspection would uncover that you are exactly where you want (OR previously WANTED) to be -- you just started asking yourself DIFFERENT questions than you did when you first pursued the job you have.

Are we asking ourselves the right questions? ??

“Do I enjoy my day to day work?” is a GOOD worthy question — but is it the MOST relevant question to gauge true contentment? Is THAT the question you asked yourself when you decided to take the job you HAVE?

Short term bursts of happiness do come from work tasks that you enjoy. But it may or may not ALSO provide long term serenity, peace and sustainable satisfaction.

I’d LOVE to coach youth basketball teams for a living, but it does not provide family security and stability.

The "chase your dreams" memes need an asterisk with a disclosure - *this is for informational purposes and you should not construe this as legal, tax, financial or other advice!

The question on job satisfaction is complex, layered, and personal to your own life (and ever changing) circumstances.

Science ??

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs applies. (I’m no expert student of this, and I know it has it’s critics.) In short, Maslow posited that we have different categories of needs ranging from basic survival needs to self-actualization, and the higher needs follow when we have satisfied the lower more basic needs.

If you need a job to put food on the table to feed your family in the here and now, you’ll probably be grateful and motivated for most any job. It may not provide moment to moment JOY, but it will satisfy your higher value of taking care of your family, and satisfying that purpose should give you real happiness and contentment.

If your basic needs are securely met, your guiding value has probably been accomplished, and you might no longer derive satisfaction from a job that in and of itself isn’t “joyful,” and you may now feel like your day to day job needs to be more fulfilling in and of itself, in order to derive overall pleasure.

Perhaps that is why, as professionals climb the ladder, fill their bank accounts and become empty nesters, they are sometimes less enamored with jobs that were once their singular passion.

The job hasn’t changed, but your needs and your mindset have.

Stage of life matters, security matters, circumstances matter, CONTEXT matters.

The Big Finish ??

A reframe in your self-questioning might make a meaningful difference in your understanding of your overall contentment — the question isn’t simply "what do I enjoy?" but more so "what are my core values, top priorities, and most important purpose -- does my job check THOSE boxes.” (Nod to Adam Grant who writes eloquently on this.)

??"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." -- Carl Jung

??"You Can't Always Get What You Want" by The Rolling Stones ("You can't always get what you want; But if you try sometimes, well, you might find; You get what you need.")