Seven Expert Tips: How to Stop Hating Your Job and Start Loving It
Most workers worldwide do not derive genuine satisfaction from their jobs. Is there a way to enjoy work, find meaning in it, and stop living from vacation to vacation?
- הידברות
- פורסם כ"ט סיון התשע"ו
#VALUE!
A few years ago, Gallup conducted a survey of people in 142 countries to evaluate how satisfied they were with their jobs and whether they felt their work was meaningful. The results indicated that those who find true meaning in their work are a minority. Globally, only 13% of workers were emotionally invested in their jobs and derived satisfaction from them. 63% were indifferent to their work, while 24% were very unhappy and, consequently, not productive. "Only one in eight workers is psychologically committed to their job and tries to contribute positively to the organization," concluded the Gallup researchers. "Most workers worldwide lack motivation and are less likely to put in effort to achieve organizational goals."
Admittedly, this situation is quite bleak. In developed countries, people spend more than a third of their day at their workplace. This is undeniably not ideal for either physical or mental health, spending so much time in a place—and doing work—that feels meaningless.
Can you find meaning and joy in your work without an attractive job offer from Hollywood? Some claim yes. At the Aspen Ideas Festival, an annual event co-hosted by the Aspen Institute and the American magazine 'The Atlantic,' two experts who deeply researched this subject came to encouraging conclusions. The experts are David Brooks, a well-known columnist for the New York Times, and Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute. How do they suggest transforming work from a burdensome task into something accompanied by a sense of mission and meaning? Here are their seven tips.
Link Ideals to Your Work
David Brooks, as mentioned, is a columnist. But the task of producing 800 words several times a week does not particularly delight him on its own. "You always have to think about the next thing, and every column feels like a failure because you have to produce it so quickly." But the work became more fulfilling for him, he says, when he began viewing his columns as a way to set an example for courteous political dialogue and as a means to promote his conservative political ideology. Regardless of your job, always try to think about its impact—on society, the environment, the world. What ideals are you inadvertently serving through your work?
![]()
Recognize Meaningful Moments
The meaning of any job comes from a few special moments when you are deeply immersed in the process of doing. David Brooks gives another example from his writing work.
"For every column—I receive 200 pages of research, and I write notes on all of these pages. Then, in the morning, I organize these pages into piles on the floor, and each pile becomes the basis for a paragraph in my column. So the column is only 800 words, but to write it, I need about 14 piles. For me, the process of writing a column is not the typing, but crawling on my living room carpet and organizing the piles of pages. These are the moments when ideas flow, connections form, and the structure of the article comes together, and these moments are the best of my work."
Do Acts of Kindness for Others
Arthur Brooks, director of the American Enterprise Institute, was a French horn player in his first career. Then he encountered a quote from the 19th-century classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach: "The ultimate goal of all music is to glorify God and bring joy to mankind." Brooks reflected on this and decided he would serve this purpose better as an economist focused on improving the lives of the poor.
"The happiest people in the world feel needed," Brooks says. No employee is more miserable than one who feels redundant. And David Brooks cited research among hospital maintenance workers who were asked to define the essence of their work. Some defined it as cleaning, while others defined it as creating a safe and hygienic environment for patients. Guess which group was happier.
Ask Why You Do What You Do
When people meet new acquaintances, Arthur Brooks notes, they usually ask: 'What do you do?' But they rarely ask the truly important question: 'Why do you do it?'
"We all want money, power, pleasure, and fame," Arthur Brooks says, "but what sociological and psychological literature tells us is that these things are not enough to make you happy. The important thing is to ask ourselves: Why am I doing this thing? We all want money, but are we working primarily for money? Is it mainly for power? Is it for fame?"
Follow Your Fears
David Brooks advises asking yourself what you would do if you stopped being afraid. "I find that fear is a great GPS showing where we want to go if there were no social obstacles," he says. "On the other hand, you also need to ask yourself what kinds of pain you're willing to endure, because every profession involves a certain type of pain."
Be Aware of Different Life Stages
As part of his work at the American Enterprise Institute, Arthur Brooks noted that there are differences in the 'pace of career' that affect people's happiness levels.
"The happiest, most satisfied people at work are those who made their significant discoveries in their twenties and thirties. They then receive insights and are exposed to new ideas...in their forties and fifties they focus on publishing their ideas: this is when they do their best writing about their work. They don't have many new big ideas, but they're excellent at conveying messages about old ideas. In their sixties and seventies, they're happiest if they see their role as teaching, sharing their knowledge with the younger generation. For them, it's not about them—the ideas and the work are important.
"In contrast, the most discontented people are those who try to do the same thing all their lives. Even at seventy, they want only to achieve the insights and breakthroughs of their youth. They always want to write a new book about a new, extraordinary idea, even though they're at a stage where it would be better to focus on passing on their knowledge."
Don't Invest Everything Into Your Job
"The happiest people are those who live balanced lives," Arthur Brooks says. "You need to balance your life investments across four things: faith and spirituality, family, community (including friends), and meaningful work. Those who invest everything only in work, for example, are like investors who build a horribly unbalanced portfolio—then find themselves at huge risk because they bought only Greek bonds."
Admittedly, this situation is quite bleak. In developed countries, people spend more than a third of their day at their workplace. This is undeniably not ideal for either physical or mental health, spending so much time in a place—and doing work—that feels meaningless.
Can you find meaning and joy in your work without an attractive job offer from Hollywood? Some claim yes. At the Aspen Ideas Festival, an annual event co-hosted by the Aspen Institute and the American magazine 'The Atlantic,' two experts who deeply researched this subject came to encouraging conclusions. The experts are David Brooks, a well-known columnist for the New York Times, and Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute. How do they suggest transforming work from a burdensome task into something accompanied by a sense of mission and meaning? Here are their seven tips.
Link Ideals to Your Work
David Brooks, as mentioned, is a columnist. But the task of producing 800 words several times a week does not particularly delight him on its own. "You always have to think about the next thing, and every column feels like a failure because you have to produce it so quickly." But the work became more fulfilling for him, he says, when he began viewing his columns as a way to set an example for courteous political dialogue and as a means to promote his conservative political ideology. Regardless of your job, always try to think about its impact—on society, the environment, the world. What ideals are you inadvertently serving through your work?
Recognize Meaningful Moments
The meaning of any job comes from a few special moments when you are deeply immersed in the process of doing. David Brooks gives another example from his writing work.
"For every column—I receive 200 pages of research, and I write notes on all of these pages. Then, in the morning, I organize these pages into piles on the floor, and each pile becomes the basis for a paragraph in my column. So the column is only 800 words, but to write it, I need about 14 piles. For me, the process of writing a column is not the typing, but crawling on my living room carpet and organizing the piles of pages. These are the moments when ideas flow, connections form, and the structure of the article comes together, and these moments are the best of my work."
Do Acts of Kindness for Others
Arthur Brooks, director of the American Enterprise Institute, was a French horn player in his first career. Then he encountered a quote from the 19th-century classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach: "The ultimate goal of all music is to glorify God and bring joy to mankind." Brooks reflected on this and decided he would serve this purpose better as an economist focused on improving the lives of the poor.
"The happiest people in the world feel needed," Brooks says. No employee is more miserable than one who feels redundant. And David Brooks cited research among hospital maintenance workers who were asked to define the essence of their work. Some defined it as cleaning, while others defined it as creating a safe and hygienic environment for patients. Guess which group was happier.
Ask Why You Do What You Do
When people meet new acquaintances, Arthur Brooks notes, they usually ask: 'What do you do?' But they rarely ask the truly important question: 'Why do you do it?'
"We all want money, power, pleasure, and fame," Arthur Brooks says, "but what sociological and psychological literature tells us is that these things are not enough to make you happy. The important thing is to ask ourselves: Why am I doing this thing? We all want money, but are we working primarily for money? Is it mainly for power? Is it for fame?"
Follow Your Fears
David Brooks advises asking yourself what you would do if you stopped being afraid. "I find that fear is a great GPS showing where we want to go if there were no social obstacles," he says. "On the other hand, you also need to ask yourself what kinds of pain you're willing to endure, because every profession involves a certain type of pain."
Be Aware of Different Life Stages
As part of his work at the American Enterprise Institute, Arthur Brooks noted that there are differences in the 'pace of career' that affect people's happiness levels.
"The happiest, most satisfied people at work are those who made their significant discoveries in their twenties and thirties. They then receive insights and are exposed to new ideas...in their forties and fifties they focus on publishing their ideas: this is when they do their best writing about their work. They don't have many new big ideas, but they're excellent at conveying messages about old ideas. In their sixties and seventies, they're happiest if they see their role as teaching, sharing their knowledge with the younger generation. For them, it's not about them—the ideas and the work are important.
"In contrast, the most discontented people are those who try to do the same thing all their lives. Even at seventy, they want only to achieve the insights and breakthroughs of their youth. They always want to write a new book about a new, extraordinary idea, even though they're at a stage where it would be better to focus on passing on their knowledge."
Don't Invest Everything Into Your Job
"The happiest people are those who live balanced lives," Arthur Brooks says. "You need to balance your life investments across four things: faith and spirituality, family, community (including friends), and meaningful work. Those who invest everything only in work, for example, are like investors who build a horribly unbalanced portfolio—then find themselves at huge risk because they bought only Greek bonds."
