Meaningful Careers News

Meaningful Work in 2010 and Beyond

by Mark Guterman

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."

So quipped late columnist Bill Vaughn. As we head into the new year, many of us are filled with hope and optimism. For others, the 00's can't end soon enough. Take for example, Time Magazine's cover story of December 7, 2009, which labeled the years 2000-2009 as "The Decade from Hell."

"Bookended by 9/11 at the start and a financial wipeout at the end, the first 10 years of this century will very likely go down as the most dispiriting and disillusioning decade Americans have lived through in the post-World War II era. Call it the Decade from Hell, or the Reckoning, or the Decade of Broken Dreams, or the Lost Decade. Call it whatever you want-just give thanks that it is nearly over."

As counterpoint, I offer Charles Dickens' opening lines from "A Tale of Two Cities" for a more balanced assessment of the recent past:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way."

While the New Year signals a new beginning, I've come to seek wisdom from reflecting on the past, especially the most difficult times, to guide choices and actions for the years ahead. If we fail to learn from the past, as they say, we are condemned to repeat it.

As we head into the new decade, I recommend a renewed focus on achieving meaningful work with six simple steps:

Be Responsible. While this may be obvious, taking responsibility for our work lives is harder than it sounds. It begins with the recognition that we always have choices and that the search for meaning can be imbedded into those choices. It also reminds us to focus energy and attention toward those things and actions over which we have control. Responsibility requires us to act as if we are the "authors" of our work lives.

Stay Relaxed and Alert. If you recall any activity that required hand and eye coordination, you know how important this is to achieving excellent results. Develop a pace that honors your uniqueness, one where we find the best interplay of importance and urgency. Remember to breathe deeply when feeling overwhelmed or daunted by the tasks at hand. And finally, in your search for meaningful work, don't forget to rest and regenerate.

Keep Your Goals Focused and Diffused. Sure, it's important to be focused, but recognize that there is more than one way to achieve a meaningful work life. Staying open and flexible helps you to be more creative when confronting inevitable barriers and challenges. Sometimes what's right in front of you is presages what's ahead on your path toward meaningful work. Seeing the context and patterns of your work and life enables you to move forward more confidently.

Trust the Process. While it may feel daunting at times, the journey toward meaningful work is best fueled by a disciplined process - and attention to each step forward will help you build momentum to carry you toward your goals. The more open you are to the process, the more likely you are to create elegant solutions when you get stuck. You learn how to let go of habits and practices that no longer serve you well.

Keep Your Sense of Humor. The capacity to laugh brings joy along the way. Several good laughs a day, including a hearty laugh at yourself, will keep your sense of self-importance in check. Recognize and appreciate the absurdity of the needless drama you create in reaction to many of life's challenges - and vow to eliminate it.

Allow for Moments of Inspiration and Awe. Take time in your day for silence, meditation, or prayer. This creates space to connect with your purpose and grounds you to what's ultimately most important. Allow the "bigger picture," however defined, to infuse your work. Remember that the journey toward meaningful work is, as they say, as important as reaching the destination. We are all a work in progress.

Some final advice from Charles Dickens:

"Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

As you move into the new year, I urge you to learn from the past, live in the present, and dream of the future. Commit to building a worklife that is recognizably more passionate and purposeful, where meaning is given the centrality it demands - in 2010 and beyond.