Who Says Work Has to Be Fulfilling?
We know, we know. We read the same stuff you do, and just about everybody who has ever written on the subject would disagree with the premise in the headline.
Of course, work must be fulfilling, “they” say. You are probably spending more time at work than you do at home, so it better provide more than a paycheck, “they” say. If you are unhappy with your job, go find another one, “they” say.
And in theory, we don’t disagree with any of that. But we don’t live in a theoretical world. Fulfilling jobs don’t grow on trees, especially today when the unemployment rate is stubbornly high. Jobs that start out as fulfilling can become less so as bosses change, competition intensifies, or just as a matter of course. What’s a person to do?
Well, they say you go out and find another. And if you can’t, go start you own company and follow your bliss. Again, if there weren’t mortgage bills to pay, tuition checks to write, and aging parents to take care of, we would be the first ones to stand up and agree. But we live in the real world, just like you do.
We have written about how to find more fulfillment in the workplace. And we promise we will again. And last time we said that if things were bad at work, one way to get reenergized is to try to start something outside of work. (Our reasoning: The passion you have for the outside venture will spill over into your day job, and even if it doesn’t, you will be less dour around the office.)
But suppose even that doesn’t improve things? Then what?
Let us propose another option: If fulfillment at work is not possible, for whatever reason, and if it looks like it really won’t change, accept the fact and ramp up finding fulfillment elsewhere. Work on that internet start-up idea on nights and weekends. Get home as early as you can to throw pots. Get up early and devote your time to the import/export idea that you have been fascinated with.
Now this is a tricky course of action, we concede. But history is filled with examples of people who did that and thrived. The insurance industry, for example, has lot of people who did less-than-fulfilling work during the day and flourished outside the workplace. Writer Wallace Stevens, winner of a Pulitzer Prize and two National Book Awards, worked as an insurance lawyer his whole life. Ted Kooser, twice the U.S. Poet Laureate (and another Pulitzer winner), spent 35 years working for Surety Life Insurance, and Charles Ives, one of America’s greatest contemporary composers, was co-owner of an insurance agency until the day he died.
But that was then. Can you go through the motions at work and thrive elsewhere today?
If you have a couple of years until you retire, probably. People coast into the sunset all the time. But if you are in your 30s, 40s, or 50s, retiring in place is not a great bet. But with the right rules, we think you might be able to do it for a few months — and maybe even a few years.
If you are going to try to navigate this tricky path, you must:
If you adhere to all three things, treading water for a while at your day job isn’t such a bad thing.
For one thing, remember the expectation is that you are going to do a good job at work. (By all accounts, Wallace Stevens was a terrific insurance lawyer.) For another, it is possible that the enthusiasm from your outside activities could make you more energized at work. But, even if it doesn’t, offering a solid day’s work for a day’s pay is going to strike your employer as a fair deal — at least for a while. At some point, your employer will replace you with someone who truly wants to do what you are doing. But that won’t happen immediately.
The moment you stop thinking you need to find fulfillment from your day job, you are going to be at least somewhat happier. Nothing about the job will have changed, but your attitude about it will. You will no longer expect your day to job provide you with fulfillment. That’s a small step in the right direction. It’s totally within your reach, and it costs you nothing.
No, it is not a long-term solution. But it could work for a while.
Who Says Work Has to Be Fulfilling?
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