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Achieving a dream goal
Here at Wengood, weāve often discussed the Covid health crisis, particularly in terms of its psychological impact. Weāve especially seen that there was an awareness and a desire to work less after the pandemic. However, even if many people want to reduce their working hours, this isnāt necessarily possible in practice. We live in a capitalist society where we need to be useful and productive in order to generate profit.
We may not like working, but we often have no choice! Yes, itās a privilege to be able to go without work (especially because you have capital) or to do a job thatās exciting and meaningful to you. Of course, the first option appears to be more unattainable (unless you win the lottery or marry a rich CEO š )... But what can you do to get a meaningful job?
How to get a meaningful job?
At primary school, secondary school, and university, one question keeps coming up: what do you want to do for a living? Some people answer very spontaneously and stick to the profession theyād given as a child. Others are still looking for an answer š¤.
If you fall in the second group, you need to ask yourself the right questions by taking stock of your situation in order to define your values clearly. In general, what is meaningful to me in life? Whatās important for me? Because to do a meaningful job, it needs to be in line with our values. We, therefore, need to ask ourselves profound questions about who we are before we even consider looking for a job.
>>> Read; So what if I hate working?
Personally, I have strong convictions: Iām a feminist, an ecologist, and a vegetarian because Iām angered by inequalities, violence, the patriarchal and capitalist society, and the lack of consideration for animals. Did this lead me to work in an association that had a link with my values š§? Maybe it did, because itās important to consider our usefulness in society. |
Reflecting on your usefulness to society
Once weāve done this introspection in order to, in a way, find our ikigai, our reason for living, we need to zoom out to focus on another dimension. Knowing yourself is crucial when looking for meaning in your professional life, but you also need to ask yourself about your use in society: what might be useful for others?
Many people spontaneously think of jobs in care, for example, but in reality, thereās no right answer. There are many areas that can help others, including art and entertainment. Indeed, where would we be if we had no way to escape through the artistic creations of others?
Taking stock of your skills
Nevertheless, you canāt change jobs at the click of a finger. Of course, wanting a meaningful job can be an argument during a job interview. But before you get to that point, there are other steps to take first. We need to see if our skills match the sector of work weāre interested in. Indeed, itās hard to imagine someone who wants to become a doctor without having studied medicine at all š©āāļø... This is a bit of a caricature, Iāll admit, but the point is that you canāt just jump into something thatās too distant from what you know. You can start a major career change, but you need to have all the subtleties in mind and do a skills assessment to make sure you donāt screw it up.
šāāļø As well as avoiding coming a cropper, skills, and values can also be combined. For example, someone with a degree and experience in marketing (skills) could work for an organization that matters to them (values).
Finding meaning for yourself
This could have happened to me, but I decided to take another aspect into consideration: my passions. Theyāre overflowing, take up a lot of space and in my eyes, theyāre what give meaning to my life. So, beyond the values/usefulness aspect, we also need to think about what makes us happy. Indeed, we have the right to give importance to something that appears secondary to others.
Iāve already talked about the importance of art in our lives, but if, for example, I were to ask my grandmother about it, sheād laugh in my face! For her, a profession isnāt supposed to bring joy, sheās a bit old school š
. You need to work hard and be useful to society, otherwise, it doesnāt make any sense! |
Even if, in this case, thereās a big gap caused by the difference in generation, from one individual to another, we wonāt have the same definition of whatās meaningful. What matters most therefore is to be in tune with yourself to avoid getting stuck in a brown-out or, worse, a burn-out. What makes sense, in the end, is to be fulfilled!
Editorās note: An important questWeāre all looking for meaning in our lives, we need to know why we get up in the morning, and thatās normal. If you feel that your current job lacks meaning, that it doesnāt fit your values, and that youāre suffering from this, donāt hesitate to make an appointment with a psychologist in order to take stock and find out what could contribute to your happiness. š¤ Understanding yourself, accepting yourself, being happy... Itās here and now! #BornToBeMe |
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