I am a firm believe that understanding why something makes you happy is way more important than what makes you happy. So often we tell people to do what they love but that’s a really weird statement. I love to eat. That does not mean I should become a competitive eater. That doesn’t even mean I should become a food critic. In fact, even though I love to bake I have no desire what so ever to open a bakery. Why? Because none of these would make me happy. That’s because I understand the why eating makes me happy. My obsession with food is not what this is about so lets stick to the topic.
Another problem with that statement is that it assumes that what makes us happy will make us happy always. Once again, not true. I used to love any death by chocolate dessert. Now, it’s just too sweet and not worth the calories. My palate changed and so did my priorities. Now I would go for some cheesecake or maybe a dark chocolate turtle candy. I didn’t like either of those when I was a kid. So understanding the why helps you to better handle the need to change direction in a way that can get you feeling happy again.
I should probably eat dinner but I’ll do that after I’m done typing this.
So I believe there are about 7 categories or types of motivators we fall into. We often have more than one, and sometimes they can conflict with each other which when we don’t acknowledge what they are can leave us feeling depleted and guilty.
So here’s my recommendation. Read through the list. See if any of these ring true to you. If more than 2 do, force rank them, not everything is of equal importance. Do not feel guilty about the choices or the order. Once you understand the why, you can then start to think in terms of the how, what, where and when.
The List.
1 - Money - this is about the money you actively make. So not like your retirement investments or “passive income” (I hate that phrase). This is your salary, tips, bonuses, side hustles and any where you effort directly impacts the amount you make. This is the one that probably gets judged the most and yet is a completely logical goal. It is also the one that can make you loose your way the fastest if you don’t have strong personal goals to help balance. Here focus is key. You can have a ton of ideas but if you don’t execute you won’t make jack. Have an accountability partner.
2 - Climbing the Ladder - This can be climbing the corporate ladder, starting your own business with the goal of franchising it, going into management, etc. The goal here is to expand your power and control in the business setting. This one is more acceptable in society but does have some judgement, especially if you are a mother. It is also one that can have the biggest impact on your personal life due to the asks. Learn to network and get a mentor(s).
3. Notoriety - This can be fame, being the subject matter expert, being asked to speak at conferences, the go to person in your field, being an Influencer. This is the one most people have a hard time admitting and don’t understand the effort that will be needed for this. It’s okay to want this one. But you also need to understand it will not come easily, you will need to work your ass off, often doing stuff for free at the beginning and will be the hardest to set work/life boundaries but will be needed for your sanity. I could go into detail but I will say just go listen to Gary V’s podcasts, he will do a much better job on this than I will.
4. Flexibility - Work from home, great vacation plan, 4 day work week, schedule work around other appointments, etc. We all understand why this is alluring but this is the one that conflicts the most with the others on this list and will call for the most sacrifices for your career.
5. Autonomy - Ability to schedule your workday yourself. To decide how to do a project yourself. The minimal amount of management and really only there when you need it. This is often one that folks who love to innovate go for. It makes sense and autonomy still can work in a team setting. But it can also be rough for a career because you can end up butting heads with others if you don’t learn how to play nice. There is really no job out there that doesn’t involve at least someone somewhere with an ask of you.
6. Sense of Accomplishment - This can be working towards a larger goal or being able to cross items off a list. Quite often these go hand in hand but not necessarily. You can work for an organization working to cure cancer that never seems to get anything formally finished and you can be miserable. You can cross off all your to-do items and feel miserable because you don’t see it contributing to a larger goal. Understanding which one or both of these might be needed to scratch that itch can really help choose what company you want to work for.
7. People - Who you work with. This can be your co-workers, your customers or both. Deriving happiness from your work environment is really all about the people for you. Knowing this can help when looking for a job, deciding on a promotion or even if you want to work from home or not.
I could go into a lot more detail. And I might break these down and do that. But really the main thing here is that none of these are bad. None of these are inherently better than another. These are really looking to decide what makes you feel like you were productive in a day. That helps to get you out of bed in the morning. That is key.
Then you can start to look at what you are good at and what fields you are interested in with a more nuanced approach that can help drill into what will get you what you really need day to day. Work is good for you because it gives us purpose. But work that doesn’t fulfill us can suck the soul out of us and impact our personal lives as well. No what makes you tick. It solves a lot of life’s problems.