Philosophy Friday

"Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life." Confucius...or at least I think it was Confucius who said this.

This is a philosophy to live by, but it is easier said than done. Given the nature of the current U.S. economy, and the high rate of unemployment, many people may be forced into jobs that they don't enjoy. In terms of efficiency theory, this is not a good practice. Unhappy workers are notoriously inefficient. They are often oppositional to management, especially when management wants to induce change. The quality of unhappy workers is often lower, and they do not work as hard, nor are they motivated to work any more than they absolutely have to.

I know that given financial circumstances and employment demand that it may not be possible to find a dream job right off the bat. But, I encourage readers to make a 5-10 year plan.

Write down your dream job, and/or write down 10 qualities that you would love in a job. For example, flexible hours, client interaction, creative thinking, lots of writing, public speaking/no public speaking, employee management, etc. Write down whatever you value. Pay may be a motivating factor for you, but I encourage you to think of other things that are intrinsic motivators, as opposed to extrinsic. Intrinsic motivators are those that come from enjoyment in the task itself and exist within in you, the individual. Extrinsic motivators are those that come from outside of the individual such as rewards, pay, promotions, grades, coercion or punishment. Focusing on intrinsic motivators will lead to more happiness and more motivation.

Even if you can't immediately find the job that you love and will make you most happy, work on a plan to eventually move into that position based on your above criteria. Work on things at your current job that are in line with you long term dream job goal. Write those things down, and then put them into your resume so that when you have the opportunity to change jobs, you are prepared. I am a fan of a five year plan. In five years, you may not be in your ultimate dream job, but you will be on your way and moving closer. Plans should be evaluated frequently and evolve.

Happy Friday. Think about what motivates you. Work toward that in your professional and personal spheres.