What is Meaningful Work?

What exactly is meaningful work anyway?

A similar question is: What does 'matter' mean, in the sense of the results of work, but we'll examine that in the next post. That will also address 'meaningful' to others and the world. This one is about how does work become meaningful personally to you. What aspects of a job make it of personal value to you?

Roman Krznaric, in his book 'How to find fulfilling work' suggests that there are 5 aspects that make a job meaningful:

1. earning money

2. achieving status

3. making a difference

4. following our passions

5. using our talents

He defines Money and Status as extrinsic motivating factors - ones where work is a means to an end. The other 3 - making a difference, passion and talents - are intrinsic. Work has value as an end in itself.

Now there is a lot to say about all of these, but here's a snapshot

Money

The problem with being only motivated by money is the 'hedonic treadmill' - so enough is never enough. Our expectations are always rising the more we get, and we end up forever yearning and never arriving.

Social Status

As Krznaric defines it, this can come in 2 forms - having a prestigious job that is admired by others, and our position relative to others. A bit like the money one, there is no 'there' there, we don't arrive, as there is always a higher level of status to be achieved. And, at its core, it's really all about what others think of us.

Making a Difference

This is about doing work that makes a positive contribution, to people and the planet. As Krznaric says "we want to be able to look back in old age and feel we have left our mark". This is work that benefits broader society, or furthers a transcendent ethical cause.

Passions

Do what you love, love what you do.
Can you transform your hobbies or interests into your job? Works for some, not for others.

Talents

Do you want to realize your potential by stretching your talents? The choice here is to become a specialist, or high achiever in a narrow field, or a generalist or wide achiever across many fields.

Back to Krznaric: "pursuing a career mainly because it offers the tempting rewards of money and status is an unlikely route to the good life". "...following our values, passions and talents is the most likely way to satisfy our hunger for fulfillment".

So there's our choices laid out. Now we need to look at what we are trying to do.