Meaningful Work

Finding Your Calling

In this final installment on the meaning of work, I explore the words that describe the work people most long for – calling, vocation, purpose, and mission — and how even they can cause barriers to pursuing, achieving and sustaining meaningful work. Vocation/ Calling: Vocation and calling are often used interchangeably because they have similar definitions. Vocation is defined as a strong desire to spend your life doing a...

The Rise of the Portfolio Career

In past posts, we explored the terms “work,” “job,” “occupation” and “profession.” In this installment of “The Meaning of Work,” we’ll explore the changing nature of careers and the notion of the portfolio career. Do you have a job but dream of building a career? You might be out of luck, at least in the traditional sense. Why? The conventional definition of what constitutes a career is becoming obsolete....

Potential Pitfalls of Professional Careers

In this third installment of my series on the meaning of work, we look at one of the more prestigious terms people use when describing their work: profession. The Good and Bad of Pursuing a Profession: The term “profession” has two definitions that give insight into the mindset this term carries with it; 1) a type of job that requires special education, training or skill; and 2) the act...

Expect More from Your Work

This is the second in a 5-part series on the Meaning of Work — where we explore how the words you use when thinking and talking about work influence your performance and fulfillment. Catch part 1, where we explore the idea of work as a necessary evil and the meaning of “job,” here. What is an Occupation? An occupation is an activity that a person spends time doing. People...

Transform Your Work From Miserable to Meaningful

Most people look forward to summer vacation precisely because they can forget about work. I, however, find that being away from work provides a great opportunity to gain some perspective on it —and develop strategies to make it more productive and fulfilling. Work is a huge part of most adults’ lives, taking up roughly 90,000 hours over a lifetime. For some people, work is a bountiful source of joy,...

How can I find work I love if I don’t feel passionate about anything?

If you don’t love your work now, but want to find a career that is energizing and fulfilling you probably fall into one of the four following camps: You already know what you really want to do and are working on transitioning from where you are to where you want to be. You know what you are passionate about, but aren’t sure about how you could actually make a...