“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.”
The statistics concerning work in America tell an interesting story. On one hand, we hate work. On the other hand, we can’t seem to get enough of it.
For the most part, Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs:
- 70% of employed Americans are disengaged from their work.
- 18% of workers are actively disengaged—meaning they aren’t just unhappy; they are busy acting out their unhappiness.
- 74% of employed workers would consider a new job opportunity if one was presented.
- The 4-Hour Workweek has spent 7 years on The New York Times bestseller list.
- Americans count down the years to retirement at age 65 and CNN defines early retirement as the ultimate “American Dream.”
Americans are not happy with their work and do not enjoy it. But we refuse to slow down and take any break from it:
- Compared with other industrialized nations, U.S. workers rank 1st in hours worked (1,800 hours annually).
- The typical American middle-income family works an average of 11 more hours a week in 2006 than it did in 1979.
- 53% of adults check work messages at least once a day over the weekend.
- Americans leave a half billion vacation days unused each year.
- We struggle to find even one day of rest each week.
These statistics paint an interesting picture of our love/hate relationship with work: We don’t like our jobs; but refuse to spend less time at them. Why is this the case?
Most likely there are a number of reasons. Sometimes, our legitimate financial needs require us to work long hours. Sometimes, our jobs require us to be on-call and available at a moment’s notice. Other times, our employers simply do not provide us that type of flexibility.
But I think there is something deeper going on here. After all, all of this is happening in one of the most productive and wealthiest nations in the history of the world. Why then, given our vast supply of opportunity, do we work such long hours in jobs we hate?
If we could discover the deeper reason for this discontent, we could find relief in both areas: both a greater appreciation for our work and more space for rest.
The real reason we have such a love/hate relationship with work in our society is because our motivation for it is all wrong. We do our work for the wrong reward.
Typically, we do our jobs simply for the purpose of earning a paycheck at the end of the day. Work is that thing we do through which we make money so we can do all the other things we really want to do.
But money as a means to fulfillment will always fall short. It will never fully satisfy the longings of our heart—in their own right, power and reputation and fame never satisfy either.
When money is the reward, we can never earn enough. We are always left desiring just a little bit more.
This is a problem with our modern understanding of work. If we are only doing it for the sake of the paycheck every two weeks, it will never be enough. We will always be left searching for more—putting in just a few more hours, skipping another day of vacation, heading back to the office on another Saturday morning.
Do we work because we love our jobs and find fulfillment in them? No. We do it because we believe the paycheck makes it all worthwhile—or at least, a little bit bigger paycheck will make it all worthwhile.
But it never does.
We were designed to work for something greater than money and possessions and property. (tweet that)
Instead, view work as contribution to others—this is the reward. Our work contributes to the good of society. It moves us forward. It makes us better as people. It enriches our lives.
Whether we are bagging groceries, delivering mail, sweeping streets, or managing others, we can view our hard work as an act of love to the people we serve.
And when we change our motivation, we discover work is not something to be avoided—it is meaningful.
Please don’t view your work as something to be endured or avoided. Don’t view it merely as a means to a paycheck. Change your focus. Develop a deeper appreciation for the contribution you are making (or find a job that will).
This will always result in a new love/love relationship.
Sandra Pawula says
Joshua, The idea of seeing our work as an expression of love and service to others is beautiful. At the same time, a great deal of work that goes on in the U. S. isn’t really designed to serve others, but to accumulate wealth for a few.
So, I think we also need to come to terms with that and see whether our personal work is part of the problem or part of the solution. Of course, we can still personally do our work with a love and caring attitude. That is the best of all and I appreciate how you cut right to the core of what is important in this life.
I think another factor underlying our obsession with work is the need for personal affirmation or even affirmation of our existence. It seems like so many are missing this basic need that was never give freely to them in childhood. It’s a very subtle form of need that we may never be aware of but it keeps us on the treadmill doing more and more and more.
Heidi @ Barefoot and Paleo says
Interesting. I have been working on my husband to get out of the love/hate relationship. Although he is much better these days he still has a strange addiction to work. He actually loves what he does (developer/builder) but takes workaholic to a new level. There is some type of pull for him and it is really hard for him to separate work from personal life.
To reduce some of the work stress, I personally have changed my thoughts to the intention of being wealthy (with visualiztion and positive thinking) instead of focusing on making more money right now and all the negativity that comes along with it.
If you truly need money, it will come your way.
Kush Sharma says
I think this issue can be tackled in two ways:
1. Find out where those paychecks are going. Besides the needs, work on eliminating any expense that you don’t value. This lessens the burden.
2.Design a road map that work towards a target. A target that would set you free financially. While you’re working towards this, start looking for what you would really like to do and do it at night even in small steps.
The first point reduces the negative pressure that revolves around the need to do a job and the second point makes sure we work towards developing something we love.
Sue @ When Did It Get So Complicated says
I love this Howard Thurman quote: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
However, I do understand that not everyone knows how to make money at what makes them come alive. Until we find what makes us come alive, I really like your approach to finding meaning in any job, or move on.
I personally think the other side of the argument is that we feel stuck at jobs because we need that paycheck and therefore become resentful and feel we have lost our freedom.
A few years ago, I started becoming a minimalist… not to save money, but to bring more peace and happiness into my life. I was making a 6-figure salary, so I could have easily afforded lots of ‘stuff’, but I feel ‘stuff’ takes away my freedom. By living a simple life and creating multiple streams of side income, I now work part time as a professional consultant because I WANT to be working, not because I HAVE to be working. This makes a HUGE difference in workplace engagement for me.
Heidi @ Barefoot and Paleo says
Excellent point!
Jill says
Perhaps the best contribution a worker can make to others is to push back against an employer’s demand for more and more hours for less and less pay. Workforce participation has dropped to an appallingly low percentage of adults. It seems that half the population has given up even finding a job, while the other half is working insane hours and resenting it mightily. Take back your power, people.
Zelda says
Money may be the major motivator for working long hours, but those of us who hate our jobs and don’t care how much we make (so long as it’s enough to cover our basic needs) have other reasons we hate our jobs – emotional trauma as a result of abuse that prevents us from actively engaging people and work out of fear rather than joy and a sense of fulfillment.
joshua becker says
Zelda, are you taking intentional steps to find different work? I would hope so. You are in a great position to do so if you are content with only basic needs being met.
Zelda says
Sort-of. I put in a resume and application at the encouragement of my supervisor to brush up on my skills and even scored an interview, but was not offered the job. It wasn’t something I really wanted to do anyway, but at least I pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone. Truthfully, I’m absolutely terrified of “breaking out” of the “rut” I’m in despite my dislike of where I’m at.
theresa says
What about a job that actually should be one where an employee can feel he or she is contributing to the greater good? I am married to a teacher who tells countless stories of the lack of appreciation and downright disrespect from both students AND parents, as well as administrators, across the board, at the school where he works. Morale is so low that I think any of the teachers there would leave in a heartbeat if they could find a place in another career. And I know that it is the state of employment of teachers in the US, in general, not just his school. So many teachers feel like they have wasted their lives.
Alex@lifeandotherweirdtales says
I am a teacher (albeit not in the US) and feel exactly the same. Our profession has changed, from actually teaching and educating the whole person, to form filling and box ticking. On top of that, as you mention, at the end of the day we get very little appreciation (though I realise other jobs are pretty much the same, which is why I make a point of saying ‘thank you’ at every possibility).
I am due to go on a sabbatical for a year, to finish a book I have been working on, as well as trying to find alternative, more fulfilling career, but I realise that is a huge privilege I have, as my husband is also employed and we can live on his salary for a while (and believe me, it’s not going to be easy)! As you said, most teachers at my school, including myself, started teaching as we found great meaning it, yet as years go by and expectations change, find it a burden to go on…
joshua becker says
The world will never give you the respect or accolades you so desperately desire. They are all too busy fighting for their own. You will need to find it elsewhere.
theresa says
I concede that fact; however, it’s the blatant disrespect and demeaning disregard teachers are given that is really the source of most of that “What have I done with my life?!?” feeling which permeates the staff at most schools. And who would hire a teacher of 18 years to do something (in a new career) they could pay a 22-year old with fresh college knowledge to do for far less? Alex@lifeandotherweirdtales is fortunate to have a spouse who can support her while she makes those changes. Most cannot.
Elizabeth says
Great post, Joshua. I’ve been following you for about a month and I’m really enjoying your blog.
I am a teacher as well and felt the need to comment here. Firstly, I understand how tough teaching can be and how unappreciated teachers can feel. I’ve been there many times myself. However, It is so important to have a tiny spark of joy in your day to keep you going, whatever that may be. My happiest and proudest moments as a teacher are made up of the little successes: getting a smile out of a shy kid, seeing a struggling student finally ‘getting’ something, even just having my naughty class all turn up on time one day!
I made myself a promise at the start of my career that I would leave when I stopped enjoying teaching: it does no one any favours for you to feel miserable and frankly, the job’s too hard to suffer through. Look past the paperwork, the broken system and the negative colleagues: focus on the kids. It’s not easy, but that’s what I’m trying to do. If you can’t, be kind to yourself and move on.
Marilyn says
My first thought in response to Josh’s post was, “I’m so lucky that I’m a teacher!” I find enormous meaning in my job every day. If I were able to do it all over again, I know I’d choose being a teacher. It’s not a job, it’s a calling. If people connect with others and build relationships, it is a spectacular thing. Of course there are difficulties but so, so worth it.
Tricia says
I agree with you, Marilyn and Elizabeth. This is my 30th year in education (I started when I was 22) and I’ve been a teacher for 1/2 of that and now a School Psychologist. I’m also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. I’ve worked in public schools, private schools and international schools with children and families of all socio-economic status and ethnic diversity. I have seen more teachers who love what they do than not. And those who really are not happy teaching are usually the ones stuck in the ‘system’ of getting a paycheck, insurance, retirement and all the safeguards that a career in education provides. It’s scary not having those things, and very scary to leave and look for something else when you have trained so long and so hard in the first place.
I try to come to an understanding of why I love my work so much and why it’s such a huge part of my life, and most of the time I realize it’s because I know that I am giving back to society in a way that will make a difference. Even if for one person. Even if I don’t know how it will manifest itself or when. My joyfulness toward my work came full circle when I got my financial situation under control and made a commitment to self that my life work could not be for the money or accolades. It had to be about ‘the better good’. And taking the time to study human personalities, high conflict people, systems change and staying true to self and learning to work strategically around people who do not help me to become a better person.
No matter what you do in life, if you find yourself somewhere doing something that does not give you a sense of joy, accomplishment, fulfillment, AND if you happen to be in a ‘helping profession’ where people are dependent upon you, then please leave. Please.
Finally, it’s also really about our materialistic society and needing everything that is culturally expected from homes to cars to expensive technology. And on and on. If you get in this trap, and add children to the picture as well, you can easily become a slave to your work.
Julianne says
I appreciate your reply as I have always believed that to be true. I had feared it was a cynical view but I believe it’s accurate nevertheless. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
Julianne says
Oops put the above comment in the wrong place.
Tami says
I am a nurse and sometimes feel the same way…working way too much for the company’s bottom line with little respect or appreciation for it. Morale in my department at the hospital is very low right now. High turnover rate, which then burns out the remaining staff. It does take a lot of strength to step out of the chaos and center myself in the role of a caregiver as an act of love and service. Thanks all for your posts!
Laurel says
I’m in that profession as well, and we don’t get paid overtime, are judged and evaluated by measures beyond our control and if at all responsible to our kids
(students) are often called to spend long hours beyond the work day to plan and prepare. I am more satisfied when actually left to do what I was hired to do, teach. Unfortunately, that rarely happens.
Linda says
You are right on. I have dreamed of being a teacher since I taught my first swimming lesson when I was 17 years old. Now, at 36 years old, I am 20 days away from “retiring” from education. As I look through the teaching tools I saved for and purchased, or at my student loan bill, it saddens me that even though I truly feel teaching is my calling, I must walk away. Those who don’t teach or aren’t married to a teacher may say many things about my lack of “stickwithitness” or weakness, but my mom always taught me that life was too short to waste a single second on anyone or anything that isn’t growing you in the direction I wish to grow. Have I influenced thousands of American kids? Absolutely. I’ve fed them, put clothes on their back and shoes on their feet as well. I AM growing and serving, but the cost? My investment in my own family. My total focus on the story MY sons are reading out loud to me or the 36th flip on the trampoline or undivided attention on my husband, rather than lesson plans and paperwork late at night. Life on Earth is to be explored, not merely worked and I pray our new adventure gives a little more time for just that. I wish you all well on your journey to simplify and LIVE LIFE!
Eric says
Good article Joshua. The paycheck for many is the means to an end – it was for me for several years until I began the process of simplifying and de-cluttering my life, which is what you discuss.
What many people practice is backwards, but is commonly preached. For many who aren’t unemployed or underemployed we work hard to buy more stuff. When we are tired we want to treat ourselves with another purchase. We even buy stuff because we want to show it off.
The stuff adds up, and it gets to a point in which we not only despise our job, but now we feel trapped since we need the job to pay for all the stuff and bills.
Cheers!
joshua becker says
You are absolutely right about that. Consumerism holds us hostage to many desperate acts.
Heidi @ Barefoot and Paleo says
Have you guys ever watched people live in “third world” countries? They have nothing yet they are the happiest people I’ve ever met.
Judy says
I know what you’re saying…
I often think about Europe and the simpler lives people live. I saw on TV a family that lived at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius in a beautiful little house. They grew veggies/fruits and celebrated life each day with homemade bread and wine and cheese. They sat at a table outside and relished in their beautiful surroundings…remembering the ancient Romans. :)
Justyna says
Actually, we here at Europe are pretty disengaged and working long hours as described in article. You can always choose living in a small village, but for multiple reasons people dont do this that often ;)
Gladys (The Pinay Mom) says
You are right here! I personally know people who brag about how much money they make and all the stuffs they just bought. And knowing from them that they got stuffs (boats,motorcycles,four-wheelers,iphones,etc) at a very low interest makes me think they work so hard just to pay for them and I’m sure they don’t like their job,some barely spend time with their family.
BrownVagabonder says
I have spent a huge proportion of my life focused on finding a job that fulfills me, rather than a job that just provides me with a paycheque. But I never thought about it the way you described it. Taking every job as a means to contribute to the world no matter if it is what you love to do at the moment. That’s a really interesting and gratifying way to look at it. Thank you for the post!
Gail says
Pain comes from my spouse living just as you described above. It’s a vicious cycle. The fear to change exacerbates the cycle. It’s such a bummer when the beautiful reasoning in this article doesn’t break through that fear. The unhappy worker loses and those close to that one.