What is it that you actually do?

Finding Purpose in Work

“What is it that you actually do?” this question was asked by an entrepreneur to a wealthy socialite heiress to which she mumbled an evasive, non-committal reply. In reality, at least in her reality, she had no need to answer the question as her vast fortunes, real-estate empire, and fancy clothes and cars spoke for themselves. But, for the rest of us mere mortals this question can be a daunting one, not least because it is asked so frequently, and our replies can be so quickly and so harshly judged by others. So, what is it that you actually do? Or rather, to put it differently, how do you find purpose in your work?

In 2018 Anthropologist David Graeber wrote ‘Bullshit Jobs: A Theory’ a book where he argues that the demise of the manufacturing business has resulted in the creation of artificial jobs. This, Graeber argues, has a had profound negative impact on the well-being of workers as, unlike in the past, they have no tangible product of their work, and this leads to widespread dissatisfaction amongst the workforce. Current evidence seems to support these ideas, in a recent pool by Gallup 60% of American workers feel emotionally detached from their work, and roughly one in five reported feeling miserable in their jobs. These are depressing statistics coming from the world’s biggest economy and it is tempting to believe that the current work climate and endless hours sat in front of a computer screen are to blame. ?However, the correlation between work and well-being is not a new phenomenon, indeed the often cited, cliché expression ‘choose a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life’ was penned by Confucius more than 2,000 years ago and although appearances and contexts have changed, it seems the existence of soul-destroying work has remained stubbornly persistent. ?

Perhaps then if it is not the work itself that is soul-destroying, rather it is our interpretation of our work? I once asked a Belarussian student of mine which jobs he thought was more valuable and should be paid more and he replied that all jobs are equally important, “whether you are a cleaner or lawyer” he argued, “every job is important to society”. I was young and easily impressionable at the time, but his comment has left a profound impact on me. Yet, until very recently I could not claim that I had carved out an inspiring and fulfilling career, in fact I have spent most of my working life trying to branch out into something else, something more fulfilling and hopefully with better pay. Like many people, I have taken the well-trodden pathway from school, to university, to work and in many ways, I feel that this trajectory was as more a decision made by circumstances or society, the need to pay mortgage and bills etc., rather than my own. Such societal pressures, the social currency of pursuing high salaries, and the judgement of our peers around the dinner table breeds nothing but contempt. And, as a consequence, this apparent loss of personal agency must surely reduce work efficiency as much as it reduces the self-esteem of the worker.

However enticing these arguments may seem, they are somewhat conspiratorial in nature and the ‘it’s not me, it’s them’ attitude is as unproductive as it is naive. So, if we were to “let everyone decide for themselves how they were best fit to benefit humanity, with no restrictions at all” Graeber asks, “how could they possibly end up with a distribution of labour more inefficient than the one we already have?” There is no simple, concrete answer to this question but what is clear is that it we can’t be any worse off by reclaiming our personal agency and setting out to obtain the career and work we want in a bid to reduce the emotional detachment and misery most of us have in our current roles.

So, for those of us who are not diamond dealers, wealthy socialites, or the head of some multi-national business, how do we find purpose in our work? Well, it seems like most things in life finding purpose in work is simply a matter of perspective. The way we frame our work and the importance we place on certain aspects of our job will undoubtedly affect how we relate to our job and therefore how we present our work to others. Whether we are a cleaner or a lawyer we must instil meaning into our work on the micro or macro level. Whether we help our immediate friends, family and community or if we have a much wider influence we have the ability, indeed the imperative to reclaim our agency and relate positively to the work we have decide to undertake. And if we are still unhappy? Well, it’s time to find something else. So next time you’re around a dinner table and someone asks you “what is it that you do?”, how will you respond??