Why Meaningful Work is an Essential Part of Life

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Last time we talked about some of the lessons I’ve been reflecting on during this coronavirus pandemic. I’ve been trying to use this time for extra reading and learning. The more I learn and grow, the more clear it becomes to me that two essential components to living a fulfilled life are meaningful work and quality relationships. This post will cover meaningful work, and then I’ll cover quality relationships in an upcoming post.

With so many people finding themselves unemployed, those who are still working should be thankful to be in the position they’re in. However, to me it’s important to live a life with intentionality. We are responsible for the decisions we make and the path we choose. Rather than drifting through life we should make choices consciously, that align with our values.

What are the components of meaningful work?

In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell defines meaningful work in this way:

“Those three things – autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward – are, most people will agree, the three qualities that work has to have if it is to be satisfying. It’s not how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between nine and five. It’s whether or not our work fulfills us. Work that fulfills those three criteria is meaningful.”

Gladwell says the three qualities that make up meaningful work are:

• Autonomy – the desire to be self-directed, we don’t like others micromanaging us
• Complexity – we like to work on challenging problems
• Connection between effort and reward – the harder we work, the more acknowledgment we get for our efforts and the better our results are

In Drive, Daniel Pink talks about the three intrinsic motivators we’re all wired with, and it matches up very similarly to Gladwell’s theory:

“It turns out there are three factors that the science shows lead to better performance, not to mention personal satisfaction: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.”

• Autonomy – again, we want to be self-directed
• Mastery – we want to keep improving in areas that are important to us
• Purpose – the sense that what we do is making a difference in the world, beyond ourselves

Both of these sets of qualities have a lot of overlap and effectively describe meaningful work. If your job is lacking in one of these areas, it’s likely you’ll feel some dissatisfaction in what you do.

Why meaningful work is an essential part of life

Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor who wrote about his experience enduring Nazi death camps in Germany, discusses the areas that make up a meaningful life in his book Man’s Search for Meaning:

“As logotherapy teaches, there are three main avenues on which one arrives at meaning in life. The first is by creating a work or by doing a deed. The second is by experiencing something or encountering someone; in other words, meaning can be found not only in work but also in love…Most important, however, is the third avenue to meaning in life: even the helpless victim of a hopeless situation, facing a fate he cannot change, may rise above himself, may grow beyond himself, and by so doing change himself.”

According to Dr. Frankl, the three avenues to finding meaning in life are:

• Work
• Love
• Personal growth

Ultimately, if we focus on these three areas I think our lives will have more purpose and contentment. Working hard on our life’s calling, loving and serving the people around us, and growing to be more well-rounded individuals. Meaningful work is an essential part of life’s puzzle.

Work is a positive aspect of life, but jobs often are not

“Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning.” -Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers

Gladwell’s point with this quote is that as long as our work has meaning, it is a GOOD thing.

Carol Dweck says, “Effort is one of the things that gives meaning to life. Effort means you care about something, that something is important to you and you are willing to work for it. It would be an impoverished existence if you were not willing to value things and commit yourself to working toward them.”

It’s clear that meaningful work is an essential part of life. We need to strive, create, grow, and pursue our purpose in life. Drifting through life is a recipe for disaster, that will leave us feeling empty and unfulfilled.

This is why I find the topic of meaningful work to be so important. Studies show that the majority of people are disengaged with their work, some stats have it as high as 65-80% of the work force! Why are so many people dissatisfied and disengaged with their jobs?

While employees may love the work they are doing, or the industry they’re in, often times the constraints or burdens of “jobs” dampen that excitement. Commutes, meetings, performance reviews, being forced to work a particular schedule – all are negatives that detract from the work itself.

Where the FIRE movement comes in

This is where the FIRE (financial independence retire early) movement comes in. The overarching message of the FIRE movement is about much more than retiring. It’s about growing wealth so that you gain freedom and options in life. This means that you can pursue meaningful work that you’re passionate about, rather than worrying about paying the bills.

This knowledge about meaningful work isn’t helpful to the person living paycheck-to-paycheck, struggling to make ends meet. But if you can get to the point where you’re spending less than you earn, you’ve created a gap that can be used to build financial freedom. It may take time, but eventually you can get to the point where you have more options to pursue meaningful work – gaining more control over your schedule, working remotely, changing jobs, switching careers, taking a sabbatical, starting a business, or more.

It might sound daunting to figure out what meaningful work means in your life. What lights you up? Why do you do what you do? What would you do if money wasn’t part of the equation? What makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning?

Life is about so much more than sipping margaritas on a beach. That might be enjoyable for awhile, but soon you’ll grow restless and bored. Vacations are most enjoyable when sprinkled in the midst of meaningful work, pursuing our passions, and living out our purpose.

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