What would you do even if you weren’t paid for it?

That’s the question most career or life coaches will ask you when trying to determine your passions and interests. Pretty generic, right? I mean, I could try on designer shoes all day until my feet beg for mercy, if you ask me…

But really, even as we make our way through this whole “adulting” process, it becomes clear that taking the love out of the career equation does’t exactly work long-term…

Yes, you can drag yourself through a soul-sucking job for decades, make a decent (or outrageously good) living in the process, and still feel like you’re empty inside…Or you can refuse to live in utter emptiness, stop and search for meaning in your life and career, most times initially at the expense of a nice paycheck and great benefits…

As you learn to grow up and do the “adulting” thing (because really, we’re all still growing up), you realize that it’s no longer just about going through the motions, earning a paycheck and paying the bills. You start looking at the world around you, and wondering how much of an impact your work really has. You start looking for your own pulse in a world that’s going by way too fast…

Yes, in relative terms, money matters. However, it’s been proven that over the long haul, no matter how many Louboutins or luxury cars you may have parked in your closet or garage, the benjamins really don’t buy you happiness.But you knew that, right? Actually, most of us know it, we just happen to forget it along the way as we get buried under bills and the oh so not-outdated keeping up the Joneses tradition (now you can thank social media for fueling the Joneses’ competition)…

But if you had to choose between living in a society with higher incomes, vs. living in one with significantly lower wages, which side would you pick? I mean, just try driving 10 minutes out of a low-income neighborhood into a higher-income one, and you may breathe better air, your kids may do better in school, and you may just be able to catch a quiet nap…But does all of that matter if you come home every night with your soul crushed in 1,000 pieces?

This is where you may have to supplement money considerations with some life-honoring, soul-soothing questions that can make the difference between living a life of meaning and living a life of means:

How much moral satisfaction do you get from your work?

One of the most crucial factors of job satisfaction is how much moral satisfaction you get from it. I mean, how do you feel about your employer’s or your own business’ mission? Is it helping people or crushing lives to make money? 

Imagine you were working for a tobacco company incentivizing people to smoke more: would your employer’s mission feel as good as working for the World Health Organization? Think about that…

Are the work conditions aligned with your lifestyle and quest for fulfillment?

Yes, if we could all work when and where we wanted, we would, wouldn’t we? But the reality’s slightly different…

However, this doesn’t mean that in our race to collect the mighty dollar we don’t have to also make room for, well, life… As in being able to pick up your kids from school as opposed to leaving them on the sidewalk while you finish that month-end report. Or actually making it to your annual doctor check-in at the risk of missing that umpteenth status meeting…

If your work conditions/schedule/load is taking the life out of your lifestyle, it may be costing you more than you initially bargained for. Which in effect cancels out the positive monetary impact, thus actually granting you an automatic pay decrease…Hmmm….

Have you developed an expertise in what you do?

The utmost level of satisfaction in your work is gained through becoming an expert in your field. There’s something about learning more about what you love doing, and improving your results and performance that leaves you fulfilled…

And it matters, because we’re always progressing, evolving and ever changing. Because the more we learn, the more we can teach…And that can make a world of difference between a job that pays the bills and a career that uplifts your soul…

Do you think doing what you love matters? Share your insights. 

To Your Success,

The Corporate Sis.