Graphic created by Evan Brooks using Wix.
What we choose to make our career will become the foundation of much of the rest of our lives. Work will take a large part of our lives, and often what occurs at our work will filter into our personal lives at home. Depending on the career path we have chosen, our financial outlook will also be shaped. The question remains though, if our career should solely be a financial venture, a passion project or a balance of both: what does our work life have to look like in order for us to be truly fulfilled in what we do?
It all starts with what our own individual definition of success is, because what is successful to one person could be failure to another. Some see a successful career as one that gives a large amount of money. Others view careers as a path to give back to others, and some see it as a path to lead to an occupation that coincides with their passion.
Personally, it doesn’t matter how much money you make; if you are unhappy in what you do, it will feel like a prison, and all the vacations in the world wouldn’t make you happy. On the other hand, it is important to earn enough to be able to sustain a basic standard of living. A good measurement of this would be the following: you are happy in what you are doing, you enjoy what you are doing and you make enough to pay all your bills on time.
You could be a musician that makes the bare minimum to stay afloat and be happier than the multi-millionaire that does work they are not proud of or even enjoy doing. Basically, find a path that will lead you to financial stability and enjoyment.
To be fulfilled in what you do, particularly regarding work, what you gain has to be beyond financial incentives and passion accomplishment. Your work has to serve a larger purpose than yourself — or at least should. This can be seen by asking yourself, is what I am currently doing as a job, work, career, etc. helping others? Who am I helping and how? How am I hurting and why? By asking these questions, you can either see that another path may need to be taken or there are solvable issues in front of you to make your career more sustainable.
Sustainability, for yourself and others, is imperative to the longevity of your career and happiness. If your industry is unsustainable, then you will most likely be out of a job at some point or be responsible for far-reaching negative impacts.
Fulfillment also includes well-being, for yourself and others. If you like your job but it is harming you in some way, it is most likely not a worthwhile venture. No job is worth your health or safety because when you slow down or are taken out of work earlier in your life, you lose out on an innumerable amount of opportunities.
The reason as to why fulfillment is so important, especially in your work, is because you can be successful but still not be fulfilled. You can be the most successful person in the world, having checked off everything you wanted to do and hitting all your marks, yet still have failed at being truly fulfilled.
To avoid this failure of success without fulfillment, you have to ask yourself what it is you want in life. Do you want to have power? How about helping others? Do you want to be recognized? Or maybe your fulfillment lies in your heart and the want for love. All of these are worthwhile causes, but you have to realize what you really want out of life. It takes asking yourself hard questions that you have never asked yourself before in order to understand yourself and your path to fulfillment.
So identify what it is you want to do, not in terms of a job but rather on a human level — what it is you want to achieve. Realize that success is not the same as fulfillment; you can have one without the other. And take action on what it is you want to do. In the end it is your life, and only you know the steps needed to lead yourself towards happiness and internal joy.
Evan Brooks is a third-year Business Management major with minors in Economics and Civic and Professional Leadership. EB916132@wcupa.edu