Find Your Work, Never Settle For A Job

Does the start of your workweek trigger feelings of anxiety, sadness, or stress? Do you lack passion and motivation for your job?

Many people accidentally “fall” into a career they dislike, and often due to their financial situations, they remain at a job that offers nothing but despair and heartache. Interestingly, a recent survey found that over 80% of workers are disengaged from their careers. The average person spends a third of their life at work, and to spend that amount of time in a job you do not like can be very disheartening.

Some people strive for success at work, and they pour 100% of themselves in their careers, but somewhere along the way, that emotional feeling slowly fades away, leaving them feeling stuck, trapped, bored, frustrated, drained, duped, or depressed. I know this feeling because I’ve also experienced all these feelings at times in my career.

Many people go through life without finding their work and settling for a job. Now you may be wondering what’s the difference? Your job is what your employer pays you to do; your work is what you were born to do.

If you find yourself aimlessly thinking as I have done before, “why am I still at this job” you have settle for a paycheque and still looking for your work. According to late Dr. Munroe, some people go through life frustrated, finding it difficult to get up on Monday morning, going to a job they hate; get stuck in traffic. Doing this all their life without knowing the real joys of life.

Life has so much meaning but to live a rewarding life; you need to find your work. You need to find that thing that gives you the confidence to get up the next day. You need to find that thing that brings a smile to your face every day of the week. That thing that makes you look forward to Monday morning. Some people have found their work, but I must tell you many people are still looking for their purpose in life.

Once you find your area of gifting, you will never settle for a job in your life again. I have been at several positions, and I can tell you, on every single one, I always ask myself why I am here; I was very irritable and never focused on my task. So you know what I left one job after the next hoping that the next one will be the correct fit. I never found it. I blame everything and everyone without looking within and genuinely asking myself what I want to do with my life.

I read a very informative article from Deepak Chopra about his trip to India and the best advice he ever got.

“Match your job, your career, and your calling.”

If you found your work but stuck in a job far different from your purpose in life, you will never be satisfied. As a matter of fact, you will be withholding something our generation and the generation to come are supposed to receive from you. It is imperative to make every effort to find your purpose, find your work; if you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, don’t give up.

If you try something and it doesn’t work out, that’s OK; keep trying. I listened to an interview with T.D. Jakes and Steven Furtick, and in the discussion, T.D Jakes shared a story about his son pursuing an engineering degree in Music and had concerns about his purpose. T.D. Jakes, son, said “dad, suppose I throw everything at it, and it’s really not the thing I want to do,” and T.D Jakes replied, “don’t worry about it, son, if it is not the thing, it will be the thing that leads to the thing.” Everything in life is connected; every experience is a preparation for the thing you were destined to become. Don’t be afraid to try something new, even if it doesn’t work out, that’s OK; those experiences will bring you closer to your purpose. 

Steve Jobs said something very telling:

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle”. 

To make sense of your life, you must find your calling (purpose), which should fit your job and career. If you don’t, it will always be a struggle to get yourself out of bed every morning, and life is too short to waste it away at a job that does nothing to help you become the very best version of yourself. 

About The Author

Inspiration creates the highest engagement levels, it is what separates the best leaders from everyone else, and it is what employees want most in their leaders. The Inspirational Leader, Inspire Your Team To Believe In The Impossible, was written to help all leaders successfully navigate all the disruptions in today’s fiercely competitive world. We need a new generation of leaders who care deeply for their team’s well-being and understand that their people are the heart of their leadership.

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Gifford is the founder of Leadership First, and we are committed to publishing the very best inspirational leadership quotes and articles from the best leadership minds in the world. We are dedicated to helping every leader create an excellent organization and to provide a daily cup of inspiration for all leaders.

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