HOW TO FIND FULFILLING WORK
What is your current work doing to you as a person – to your mind, character and relationships?”
― Roman Krznaric, How to Find Fulfilling Work
I am a big fan of the English writer Roman Krznaric. He’s actually not English; he lives in Oxford, was born in Australia and grew up in Sidney and Hong Kong. He has lived all over and is somewhat of a global inhabitant. He works with the School of Life in London. A hot bed of knowledge and a source of excellent thought provoking reading material.
I am presently reading Kznaric’s book on Empathy. But the book of his I have found the most useful is called HOW TO FIND FULFILLING WORK.
In this book Kznaric addresses many issues faced by all of us at the moment. How do we find work that nurtures our souls and allows us to use our talents and express ourselves while still giving us the means by which to live?
This is a huge issue and one that I run up against with many people who write in. “I have a job that pays the rent, but I feel like I’m throwing my life away” is not an uncommon compliant. I have faced this in my own life.
Since the Industrial Revolution most jobs were jobs and a means to an end. One toiled to provide a roof, food and clothing. But time has moved on and souls need to be fed too. Creative impulses cry out for attention. People find themselves trapped between what to do and what they want to do.
Another issue Kznaric talks about at some length is the fact that we no longer do one thing in a lifetime. One used to embark on a job at 20, trundle on and retire at 62 or often younger. Now for many reasons people often work into their 80’s if they can and want to. Jobs that are available to us when we are younger become scarce or snatched away in our later years. We often find that what we once liked to do wears out its welcome. We are forced to forge new ways to be in the world, work, find fulfillment and bring home some bacon.
More and more people end up doing more than one thing either in a life or in the moment.
I am doing something today that is so far from what I was doing a decade ago. And yet it makes me just as happy, if not happier. We move on in life, and our work needs to change either because we want it to or because the change is forced upon us.
Kznaric empathetically and wisely offers suggestions, insights and ways to go about finding fulfilling work.
He feels there are five things that go into making a career significant – money, achieving status, making a difference, using our talents and following our desires.
Making money alone is not enough, but one needs to make money.
So sometimes we do something for money that we don’t love, while pursuing a passion that feeds our souls and in time can possibly turn into a career.
You may not need this book today, but I promise you the day will come when you will. It’s never to early to read it.
The consequence is that we often become psychologically paralyzed, like a rabbit caught in the headlights. We get so worried about regretting making a bad choice that we may end up making no decision at all, and remain frozen in our current unfulfilling career.”
Tracey Jackson is a screenwriter and blogger at traceyjacksononline.com. Her book Gratitude and Trust is now available.