We know that “do what you love” is a popular career mantra. However, what if you can’t do what you love? How can you still feel as if your work has meaning and is fulfilling?
Over on Harvard Business Review, Charlotte Lieberman argues that we should shift our thinking from “Do what you love” to “Do what you do” and focus on mindfulness instead of passion.
"But instead of trying to find complete congruence between our passions and our livelihoods, it is perhaps more productive simply to believe in the possibility of finding opportunities for growth and satisfaction at work, even in the midst of difficulties – a controlling boss, demanding clients, competition with your colleagues, insufficient boundaries between your work life and personal life. Recognizing difficulties, and choosing to learn and to grow from them, does not negate their existence or potency, but establishes them as of a distinct facet of one’s life."
Read the rest of her article here.
Her article reminds me of the conversation we recently had with Aaron Hurst about being able to find purpose in your work. Too often we assume that passion is related to a cause or organization or that having purpose in your work means having a high-level role. Instead, we should think about how we can find or add meaning to our work everyday.
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by Allison Jones