The Tao of Work - Let's Dream a New Dream

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What if each of us has a unique contribution to give to this world? And what if, in the act of making that contribution, each of us has the ability to be deeply, truly happy? Let's take it a bit further. What if, in this world, there are enough roles for each of us to play the role we dream of? No one would have to do a job they didn't like because there was another person out there who genuinely enjoyed that role. The implication is that if you're unhappy in the job you're doing, you might just be holding someone else's dream job. We often see this metaphor play out in mismatched or outgrown relationships. The most profound teaching I've heard is that by letting go of a person you don't love, you're freeing them to find someone who loves them. Conversely, by freeing yourself of a person who doesn't meet your needs, you're opening yourself to find someone who does. The same holds true of a job. Each of us has a unique combination of skills, talents and passions as varied as our fingerprints. It follows that each person is happy in very different types of jobs. What if a job were a source of personal growth, an outlet through which we could realize the best of who we are, of what our minds, bodies or hearts have to offer? What if we could fulfill our life's purpose through our work? Could you imagine what the world would look like if everyone enjoyed what they did? If each of us felt that we were able to make positive and lasting contributions by the work we did? If each of us found a vocation that matched our personalities and ambitions just right? Remember those monkey commercials that Career Builder used to show how absurd our jobs were? The reason this campaign was such a slam dunk, besides its absurdity, was that most of us could relate to having annoying coworkers. Imagine if each of your coworkers was in a role that fit their skills and interests, and as a result deeply valued that role. Can you see how the office might become a deeply fulfilling place if that were also true for you? The monkey metaphor, while funny, would have little relevance to a society, or even a company, where each of us was well suited to our jobs. Is this possible on a broad scale? Eventually. But first, person by person and organization by organization, our society needs to shift how we view our contributions. We need to start asking the hard questions, finding out what we're truly meant to do. You can start this process by writing your eulogy. Picture the faces of your family, friends and colleagues as your life story is told. What are the contributions you'd like to make before you die? What will your legacy be? Or, ask yourself the simple but profound question: If you knew you couldn't fail, what would you do?