And then you’ll find the meaning in work
The perfect job doesn’t exist. There’s no role in which you’ll be lit up by each and every task. By desperately searching for one you’re fighting an unwinnable fight against the universal laws that govern the nature of work.
I learned this firsthand after slaving away on Wall Street until I did my best Andy Dufresne-like escape from Shawshank and landed my dream job in crypto that checked every single box for my ideal role and work environment.
And yet, something was missing. I’d show up to work, complete my tasks for the day, and still feel like a widening gap between how I felt and how I wanted to feel.
I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out what was wrong. It wasn’t until I came across the prescient advice from a 2,500-year-old Chinese philosopher that I concluded it wasn’t my job causing the unhappiness—it was my expectations for the job.
I was over-indexing on what it means to be in a fulfilling role, believing that every second spent tapping a keyboard or taking Zoom calls is meant to bring a smile to my face.
But I realized that this idealized portrayal doesn’t exist. And that’s okay. It doesn’t preclude you from a happy, fulfilling work life where you relish the opportunity to complete your daily duties, regardless of what that entails.
You just need to find meaning in the greater mission of what you’re working towards, not the individual tasks themselves.
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(published here since Elon blocks Substack links)
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