Doing Work That Matters

“Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.” –Albert Einstein¹

We live in a culture that prizes fame and fortune over contribution and service, so it’s understandable that many people are driven to achieve conventional success. I too am driven, in part, by the desire for money and status.

But while wealth and prestige do provide a certain sort of pleasure, they do not offer deep, lasting satisfaction. Although human nature makes lasting happiness a near-impossibility, there is one approach to life that will get you as close as possible: doing work that matters.

Now, here I must admit that I am not a shining exemplar of this approach to life, so please don’t think I’m judging you. This post is as much a message to me as it is a message to anyone reading it. A lot of my time is still dedicated to selfish pursuits, pleasure, and fun. I give to charity, but not as much as I could, and I don’t volunteer. I’ve supported political causes, but not in a way that required real sacrifices on my part.

But I am an exemplar of someone making the gradual transition toward a life of contribution and service. My 20’s were marked by shallow hedonism, but this lifestyle proved to be (surprise, surprise) unfulfilling. So in my 30’s I have steadily tried to choose meaning over pleasure. I gave up drugs. I started thinking about sustainability and animal welfare in my consumption choices. I switched from a career serving food and drinks to a career delivering knowledge and self-development. As with all behavioral change, the gradual approach is much more realistic than instantaneous, wholescale lifestyle change.

Better Examples

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” –Martin Luther King, Jr²

For inspiration, let’s consider two examples of people who truly have dedicated their lives to doing work that matters.

There is the late John Lewis, whom I wrote about in this piece on “growth mindset patriotism.” Lewis was a champion for civil rights from a young age. He repeatedly put his life on the line for the causes of desegregation and voting rights, and then spend decades in Congress working to further improve the lives of everyday people.

For a more down-to-earth example, consider Jan Smith. Jan is the mother of my good friend Nathan. In her youth, she served in the Peace Corps. Back in the United States, she has enjoyed a long career as a physical therapist, helping injured people regain their mobility. In the town where she lives, she serves at the local soup kitchen, making delicious home-made meals for the misfortunate. And she joyfully cares for her family and friends in a manner that is truly inspiring.

The Joy of Service

The joy and fulfillment that comes from doing work that matters is a major theme in The Second Mountain by David Brooks:

“Happiness is the proper goal for people on the first mountain. And happiness is great. But we only get one life, so we might as well use it hunting for big game: to enjoy happiness, but to surpass happiness toward joy. Happiness tends to be individual; we measure it by asking, ‘Are you happy?’ Joy tends to be self-transcending. Happiness is something you pursue; joy is something that rises up unexpectedly and sweeps over you. Happiness comes from accomplishments; joy comes from offering gifts. Happiness fades; we get used to the things that used to make us happy. Joy doesn’t fade. To live with joy is to live with wonder, gratitude, and hope. People who are on the second mountain have been transformed. They are deeply committed. The outpouring of love has become a steady force.”³

As I said earlier, I have only dabbled in this lifestyle, and I am moving toward it incrementally. But the small tastes of it I have enjoyed and the examples of it I have witnessed in others have shown me two things: 1) this path is absolutely worthwhile, and 2) it is a difficult path, one that requires great stamina and fortitude. A life of service and meaningful work is joyful, yes, but it isn’t easy, as Brooks notes:

“Their days are often exhausting, because they have put themselves out for people, and those people fill their days with requests and demands. But they are living at a fuller amplitude, activating deeper parts of themselves and taking on broader responsibilities. They have decided that, as C.S. Lewis put it, ‘The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken.’”³

David Brooks has never met Jan Smith, but that passage describes the life she has chosen far better than I could.

Everyday Contribution

Heroes like Dr. King and John Lewis are larger-than-life figures. And while it is possible for any of us to devote ourselves to a cause as they did, for most people, that feels out of reach. On the other hand, everyday heroes like Jan demonstrate how ordinary people, in the course of ordinary lives, can make extraordinary contributions.

Choosing a career that serves what the world needs is a great way to do this, but that career doesn’t need to be a high-profile calling, such as being a heart surgeon or a firefighter. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated just how essential and heroic grocery store workers and delivery drivers are. Doing work that matters doesn’t require a college degree, and it doesn’t always come with status or a high salary.

“In every job, there are opportunities to have a positive influence on the wellbeing of other people. Most of us are doing far more for others than we fully appreciate.” –Tom Rath²

So part of the equation here is choosing to do more work that matters, but an equally important part is recognizing all the ways in which you’re already contributing. As I discussed in my article on stress, there are probably numerous ways to see your current job as meaningful work.

And while the focus here is on service to others, seeing your work in this way is not a purely selfless endeavor. It also causes you to enjoy your work more and be more effective at it, as Tom Rath explains in Life’s Great Question:

“You can begin by connecting your daily efforts to the way they contribute to specific people’s lives—connecting what you do with who your work serves. There are now countless examples of how connecting your work to the meaning it creates for specific people leads to better results, as well as to more enjoyment in and satisfaction from one’s work.

In food service, for example, when a cook or someone preparing food can literally see the people they serve, it increases that customer’s satisfaction with the meal by 10%. If the cook and customer can both see one another, satisfaction with meal quality goes up 17% and service is 13% faster. You see a similar result across other professions.

When lifeguards read stories of people’s lives being saved, they are more vigilant on the job. When telephone-based fund-raisers hear from the beneficiaries of their work, they are more motivated and raise far more funds for their cause. Even when the only people you serve are internal customers or colleagues, connecting the work you do with the direct contribution it makes has tangible benefits.”²

Furthermore, Jan’s example also shows how your job is not the only way to contribute. Each of us plays many roles that each provide opportunities to improve the lives of others, the communities we live in, our nation, and the world as a whole. Everyday contribution looks beyond career and sees ways to do work that matters in our roles as siblings, parents, friends, colleagues, and citizens.

“The idea that we should have one defined purpose is inadequate; that is a grand but impractical take on what we can expect from our work.” –Tom Rath²

I’m reminded here of the Ikigai diagram:

The idea behind this Venn diagram is that fulfillment comes from satisfying all four circles. But, as I argued in my breakdown of Ikigai, relying on a single activity, such as a career, to fulfill all of the components is unrealistic. Instead, we should approach each of the circles, including the “What the world needs” one from multiple angles.

Odds are, you are already doing work that matters. It’s just that sometimes we forget that the things we do on a daily basis matter. We forget that all our contributions, no matter how small, are part of a larger whole. We forget that everything counts.

Remembering this truth will not merely make us feel better about what we’re already doing. It will also inspire us to strive harder, to contribute more, and to further dedicate ourselves to doing work that matters.

I’ll leave you with the words of George Bernard Shaw, who spoke eloquently of the joy that comes from living a life full of purpose:

“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”

¹ Clear, James. “Albert Einstein’s Incredible Work Ethic.” 

² Rath, Tom. Life’s Great Question: Discover How You Contribute To The World. Silicon Guild, 2020.

³ Brooks, David. The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life. Random House, 2019.