I have a confession to make. I’m writing this blog post in my pajamas. In my defense, it is only 7:30 a.m. and I’m at the keyboard because I’m inspired.
You see last night, I read a post by one of our Blog Circle contributors, Laurie Foley, citing scientific evidence that when it comes to strategic and creative work, intrinsic motivation — the desire for meaning — trumps the influence of “those old carrots and sticks.”
Apparently my subconscious noodled on the scientific findings all night because the buzzer on the alarm clock launched me out of bed as if it were the starting bell at Preakness.
You could say I’m lucky that as Senior Strategist for VibrantNation.com, I have a job that intrinsically does make a difference. But then again, I count as amongst my special gifts that I’ve been able to find personal and global significance in every job I’ve had — even promoting Italian dry salami to people like Canadians who thought the white powder on the casing, a pungent mold that gourmets prize, meant the meat was spoiled.
When I couldn’t stretch my meaning-making machinery far, I could at least connect the dots between making a living and my subsequent ability to support the worthy things I did outside of work hours.
Explains Laurie: “We want to matter. We want our work to matter. Having a soulful reason for doing what we do is what connects us with our motivation.”
This urge to make meaning is not unique to Laurie or myself. In fact, this is pretty much the water in which the vast majority of members of the VN community swim every day. You don’t have to look very deeply beneath the surface of any of VN’s various offerings before you get a robust splash of intrinsic motivation.
For instance, we’ve got several conversations going on the subject on our “Women 50+ Know” feature, that allows any of our members to both tap and contribute to our growing bank of communal wisdom. In Women 50+ Know: How to create the job they deserve you can find women finding meaning through all manner of courageous career changes, such as Sarah Gayle Carter’s switch from her home design business to create a more fulfilling life as a dog portrait painter.
Also at “Women 50+ Know,” you can read entries by women who have figured out how to make their passion for giving back a career, which is also a popular theme in Stephen Reily’s blog about marketing to the Vibrant Woman demographic, Flash Forward.
Another place to delve into work and meaning is through the conversation sprouts rooted in the excerpts of my most recent books The Year I Saved My (downsized) Soul: A Boomer Woman’s Search for Meaning…and a Job and co-authored with Dr. Jimmy Laura Smull The Silver Pearl.
And then, too (although not “finally,” as there are many more references to work and meaning scattered throughout the site) our Live It! Lists. For example, in Ten Keys to Saving your Downsized Soul, you will find Lisa G’s call to meaning: “I am 53 and after 30 years in child welfare a BSW and MS I found the agency that I worked for closing… Over 200 resumes sent I took a big jump! Enrolled myself in a program for Clinical Skin care…love it and look forward to a new career! I would offer, do not be afraid to take the plunge into a new passion or desire. Yes, there are days I am depressed, scared and low on funds. All I know is to move forward and don’t look back.”
And as you go, I promise you this. Chances are very high it won’t be a carrot on the horizon — unless, of course, you’re in culinary school, or starting a farm.
ReginaLove, that is SO great to hear! As for soy, it may help with menopause symptoms -- it it controversial. The best way to use soy is in the form of whole fermented soy foods (miso, tempeh, tamari and natto). Non-fermented soy foods such as soy mi
Agreed. I never thought I was vain until I had a mastectomy at age 39. I was devastated and told the doc I wanted to wake up with implants. Now at age 60, I am lopsided and wondering if I was just avoiding the inevitable. You get what you get and you
Sounds very interesting.
Spike, you are awesome! Love your perspective, thanks for sharing.
Amen!, Carol. I heard the call, too. That’s why I’m back i graduate school carving out a path of meaning in psychotherapy and horticultural therapy.
great article once again Carol. as a realtor I have been aware for a very long time how honoured I feel to be a part of my clients process in making such huge decisions in their lives.
Thanks for your atta girl! We work for meaning, whether or not anybody notices, but it sure is nice when someone does!
Sounds like one of your superpowers IS finding meaning, Carol. It’s interesting that you cited past experiences, too. How perfect that you are now helping create a community for so many others to join you. Thanks for sharing my post with your readers.
Best, Laurie
First off, you’rewelcome Laurire. Secondly,can you find a better example of what we’re all talking about than vGranny in Long Johns’ response? Should be required reading for anybody who says they’re unhappy with their work, bored or yearning for meaning!
If you just look at what it is and what it does with as few assumptions as possible projected onto the facts, you could see the human brain as, fundamentally, a meaning maker.
We create meanings and those meanings, conscious and unconscious, shared and idiosyncratic, run our lives.
I think it is possible to become habituated to a meaning the same way that you can become habituated to a fan running near you and most of the time habituation serves a purpose, the meaning functions without my attention to it, but meanings can get worn out and lose relevance to changes in our lives, so it’s a good idea to become un-habituated to your meanings in order to test them to see if they have become dysfunctional.
Certainly, we are involved in situations that don’t appear to have meaning; repetitive mundane tasks of various sorts come to mind, of the sort that many encounter in their jobs. Sometimes I create meaning in such things by increasing the value that I place on precision, kind of just for the fun of it, and because I can, and because whatever the small boring task is – it is unavoidable, so I have to do something with it to make it more tolerable and precision IS helpful, which brings me to a type of meaning that I find very useful for almost all situations.
I acquire meaning from thoughts about how small concrete events have effects that extend way beyond themselves. Obvious examples of this are things like smiling and respect and honesty in all things, but the meaning of every day actions of all types can be seen in the kind of world that we have created by what/who we are.
So I’m in Texas, working night shift as a corrections officer (surprises/amazes everyone, including myself) in county jail, 7 years since divorce after 30 years of marriage, having moved from IL to TX & going through divorce within 4 months of that.
Visit my daughter this past summer in Chicago; both visit Woodstock, where we used to live; I reconnect with friends & stand on the Square (where Groundhog Day was filmed) & think, "I miss this……this place feels like home."
Forward to September, & I’ve moved back to Woodstock..lock, stock & barrell, having gotten rid of TONS of the things that fit into my huge, 2BR home with walk-up attic on 13 acres out in the country that I rented for $625/month! to a small, my first-ever apartment for both myself & 3 cats, living in cold winter (which I SWORE I’d never live in again) & loving it.
I had NO idea what I’d do for work…..county jail a walk/bike-ride away. After talking with someone, determined my passion is cooking with goal of being personal vegetarian chef. At 59, I’m coming up on mid-terms of 5 classes in brand new culinary program at local community college & lovin’ it, living off some of my retirement. YOUNG kids might be able to handle full-time college & a job, but I can’t!!!
I’m not worrying about retirement money I’m digging into, where EXACTLY I’ll wind up. All I know is, my daughter will finish her master’s at Boston U in May, I’m flying out to help her load up & drive back to Chicago with her ; I actually have a social life, enjoying drumming & other things with both old & new friends; and oddly enough, I’m adapting to cold weather MUCH better than I ever thought I would. Temperate winters, living on "acreage" (one of my dreams), earning enough to live well…..these were nice, but they didn’t make me happy. Now I can say I’m happy.