Happiness vs. meaning • 2 min read
Research carried out by the consultancy firm Gallup shows that over one in three millennial professionals strongly agree that the purpose of their company makes them feel that their job is important.
This means that over one in three millennials can connect their work to their company’s purpose.
Introduction
Happiness and meaning and work…the dream scenario for many of us in our everyday professional lives.
Yet, research tells us that only 20% of employees are engaged in their work!
The average person spends 90,000 hours at work in a lifetime so it’s so important to understand how to find meaning and engagement at work.
This week, we’ll take a deep dive to find out how to strive for meaning in the workplace.
Searching for meaning in work?
Do you identify with any of these feelings?
"Most days I feel like I’m going through the motions."
"I feel that I’m contributing little to the overall output of the company."
"I feel as if I still haven’t found my calling through my work."
"I often question whether my day-to-day tasks are providing personal benefit, professional development, advancement, or helping to build important work relationships."
So, what does this mean?
One of the top things Millennials and Gen-Zs look for in their work is meaning.
However, research shows that only 50% of us see our work as our calling in life. So many of us can feel unsatisfied and uncertain by those steady jobs that we end up securing.
This can stem from the fact that most of us are constantly striving for ‘happiness’ over actual meaning.
So how does ‘meaning’ differ from happiness?
Well…happiness (like all emotions) is a fleeting state, not a permanent one.
Let's explore how we can make meaning our vocational goal.
Shift our mindset and priorities
We can do this in two ways, by:
Not focusing on the eternal quest for happiness, but by trying to find actual meaning in our work. We’ll elaborate on this in due course!
Reprioritising our values in our working processes. This means giving less headspace to obstacles such as unattainable perfection, while identifying new areas where we can potentially add more value.
Key takeaways
Research tells us that only 20% of professionals are engaged in work, with lack of meaning cited as one of the main causes.
Happiness does not necessarily equate to meaning. While happiness is a fleeting state (like all emotions), meaning is a permanent one.
Solutions involve making meaning our vocational goal and reprioritising our working values. This means shifting our mindsets and identifying new areas where we can add more value and reap more self-worth!
Think big, act small
When we approach work situations more mindfully, we identify opportunities to practice the skills that add intrinsic value to our work.
In the coming lessons, we’ll look at ways and new approaches to shifting our mindsets and finding real meaning in our day-to-day contributions in the working environment.
Content sources
Forbes, 2020, Hannah Hart, Being Productive is Not Enough – How to Prioritise Your Highest Value
Gallup, How Millenials Want to Work and Live,
Gallup, US Employment Holds Steady in First Half of 2021, Jim Harter
Mark Manson, 2016, ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’
Harvard Business Review, 2019, Susan Peppercorn, ‘Why You Should Stop Trying to be Happy at Work’
Harvard Business Review, 2019, Rebecca Knight, ‘How to Manage Your Perfectionism’
Harvard Business Review, 2017, Emily Esfahani Smith, ‘How to Find Meaning in a Job That Isn’t Your “True Calling"'
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