"There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do." - Freya Stark
Divergent thoughts always manifest themselves when the topic of finding happiness comes up, especially when it comes to the work you do.
Some people say to follow your passion.
Other folks say you should chase purpose.
Another school of thought thinks you should become laser focused on becoming so good, they can't ignore you, and that happiness will follow the mastery of your work.
Like the quote above implies, I think the key to happiness is about alignment and congruency.
Are your personal mission and values in alignment with your company's mission and values? Or does your gut wrench thinking about how they value profits over their customers?
Are your products and services things you even want to offer? Or are you in it for the bucks?
Do you see yourself in your own customers, where servicing them brings about satisfaction for you and them? Or do you secretly hate even picking up the phone?
Does your work enable the lifestyle you dream of? Or does it cage you?
Are your transactions creating "double thank-you" moments? In other words, does your customer get value and do you get paid what you feel you're worth?
Hard questions to answer sometimes, and not everyone has the choice.
But if you want to win, taking a step back and evaluating if there's meaningful alignment with what you believe, what you do, and with whom you serve is a necessary step to guiding you to your happy place.
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