The Joy of Meaningful Work

By Leo Babauta

Not everyone has the luxury of doing meaningful work. I get that. I'm incredibly lucky to have work that I find meaningful.

But it is one of the most incredible things I've been able to create in my life. Purposeful work. Work that feels like I'm doing something good in the world.

People in all kinds of fields have found meaningful work -- it's usually when you've done some good in the lives of others. Teachers who see a kid's eyes light up when they do a science experiment or read a good story. Nurses who help someone who is in pain. Volunteers who help with a project that makes a community better. Writers who inform or delight or provoke. Mothers who help babies grow into wonderful people. A bus driver who keeps his students safe so they can learn. Scientists who are advancing human knowledge. Yoga teachers who bring a measure of inner peace to people's mornings. A flower gardener whose product will make people's homes happier. A coache who helps his clients make breakthroughts in their lives.

And it's my belief that anyone can find meaning in their work. Work in an office? Maybe it can feel meaningful to serve your team so that their work gets done easier, or so that the project they're doing actually gets done. Maybe you help brighten people's day with your positivity or sense of humor. Maybe you delight your customers with your service. Work as a janitor? Imagine not cleaning for a week and think about how miserable people would be -- your work makes their lives better, even if they don't realize it. A feeling of meaning can come even if the people benefitting don't realize what you've done. Just knowing you've made lives better is a wonderful thing.

Meaning is anything that makes lives better —— your own life included. If you are putting smiles on people's faces, helping them find mindfulness, helping them make a living, making their jobs easier or their headaches smaller ... you’re doing something meaningful.

Meaningful work is all around us, and it is deeply satisfying.