5 Life Lessons That Will Help You Find Meaning in Your Work

I’ve always been a doer, an action taker. It takes a lot of effort for me to sit still unless I’m actively engaged with something. My grandpa learned that early on, using menial day-to-day tasks to keep me busy (and him sane).

Forcing me to chop wood at 11 years old for 3 hours a day should’ve been considered child labor. But hey, you know what? Looking back, I actually learned a thing or two — so thanks, gramps.

I wasn’t blessed with the ability to pay attention for long periods of time, which is why I dropped out of school 26 days into my freshman year. I was relieved to be freed from the constant pressure. My mom, on the other hand, wasn’t happy, which is why I spent the next three years of my life flipping burgers, frying chicken, gutting fish, chopping down dead trees, ripping off roofs, installing piping — whatever I could do to cover my share of the bills.

I was constantly moving from job to job, sometimes only days apart. I was working to pay the bills, putting in the bare minimum, desperately craving for the weekend to hit so I could go out with my friends.

I treated every job as a way to pay the bills and nothing more.

Looking back, I realize that every single one of those jobs taught me valuable skills, and if I had realized that sooner, I could’ve been in a way better position than I am now.

Understand that your job is a learning experience

At the beginning of age 16, I landed myself in a decent-paying sales job that lasted for five years. Every day brought something new. I met thousands of people, traveled all over (the state), and discovered strengths and weaknesses I never knew I had.

I was offered multiple opportunities to grow and better myself, to learn and improve my skill set.

For once, I wasn’t just working to earn. I was working to learn.

Eventually, I hit my ceiling. I’d learned all there was to learn from the company, achieved recognition from those who few of us dreamed of impressing and made the most money possible for my given position. I had to decide; settle into management, teaching others what I had learned, or move on and find new learning opportunities.

I took the latter option.

Now I’m in a completely different work environment, where I can apply the skills that I learned from my previous job, but there is also plenty of room for improvement. I’m exposed to new weaknesses, which means more strengths to build and skills to learn.

Don’t be afraid to spread your wings — you might learn a thing or two

We’re looking at this whole job thing wrong. A job should be treated as a learning opportunity, and if not, then it’ll be nothing more than a 9–5 grind to pay the bills — which unfortunately is how most of us are living.

You may be like me in my early stage of work, where nothing seems to fit, and every day feels like a grind. Maybe you’ve been working the same dead-end job for a while now and yearn for something new. I’m here to tell you that you’ll continue to find yourself in this position until you chose to be intentional about where you want to work. Don’t do it for the paycheck alone, but think about the learning experiences you could benefit from.

If you really want to learn how to make the perfect sandwich, then Subway might have a job for you. But if you want to learn, grow, and better yourself as an individual, then don’t be afraid to apply for something that requires a larger variety of strengths and talents.

Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone to learn something new.

When I first started as a cellular salesman, I didn’t know shit about phones, but I wanted to understand more about sales. I wanted to learn about persuasion, communication, and proper body language — and I learned all that and more! After five years, I’ve moved on to the real estate industry to apply these skills and learn new skills to apply in future endeavors.

Focus on what you love to do

For most people, our job consumes over 60% of our waking time. Every day we wake up and spend what little time we have with our family before heading to work. And do we have fun while we’re at work? No! We dream of getting back to our loved ones, back to our couch, our cupboards, and our hobbies because we generally don’t enjoy what we do for work.

Why?

Why not find a place of work that brings — at the very least — a sense of satisfaction?

Why chop wood if you really belong behind the grill?

Why flip burgers if you’d kill it as a car salesman?

Find something that you actually like to do for work, and you’ll find that your personal life will improve as well.

Seek Mastery in the Workplace

If your job’s in sales, then maybe you should work on your communication and persuasion skills. Creativity, punctuality, organizational skills, and critical thinking are also great strengths/values to strengthen and uphold in a sales-based position.

The thing is, you don’t need to go to school or read 1000 books a year to achieve the skills desired in your workplace. Your job will (or at least should) provide you with the tools, resources, and training necessary to grow your skillset and perform at peak performance.

The most talented and highest-paid employees seek mastery, not only in the workplace but in the everyday moments of their day-to-day lives.

The journey will lead to the destination

Remember that every step you take will bring you one step closer to your life’s purpose, or at the very least, a career that you can see yourself staying at for a long time. My first sales job at AT&T sparked my general interest in sales, persuasion, and business, which eventually sparked an interest in the real estate industry.

Your job should be treated as a learning opportunity — a chance to learn new skills that can be applied in future endeavors, and it wasn’t until I realized this and chose to be intentional about what I did for work that my overall view of work as well as my work-life balance changed for the better.

By working on learning instead of earning, you’ll eventually find a career that brings you joy and satisfaction, or maybe you’ll find your own purpose, plow your own path. Whatever suits you.