Work with Meaning - what is it?
Work with Meaning is more than just going through the motions, hanging in there until your next holiday or something to numb your way through until you win the lottery. It includes a little of what you LOVE doing, having an impact that you value whilst generating financial resources to pay for the life you want. Oh and it is done in such a way that it connects you to people and activities that are important to you. I share below some examples of Work with Meaning for me.
‘I’ve had my first epiphany…’. It was 1030 am on the morning of my most recent Work with Meaning day experience. Music to my ears. I had to sit down as I didn’t want to miss a thing. Asking questions and guiding people through activities that help them better understand what is important to them is brilliant. Hearing ‘I have had my first epiphany’ is an example of the moments I love in what I do. Trusting there will be these moments without knowing when they will arrive or what will precede them makes getting out of bed real easy for me.
‘Being more curious about how I can design and create Japanese gardens’ is feedback I received from a participant. The conversation started with I can’t do that so I will keep doing what I know. It was shared by a person living the 4-6 out of 10 life. He knows he is comfortable and that may well be what stops him from choosing a more courageous and rewarding life for himself. Being more curious keeps the door ajar for another human to create Work with Meaning. The more people Working with Meaning the more partners, friends, families and communities that benefit. This is my contribution to the world around me, the legacy I want to leave for my son to inherit. What I do allows me to have an impact I value. So even on days when I am not feeling the LOVE I have a reason to get started and then before I know it I have connected to someone or something and the LOVE returns.
Having a life plan helps me know what financial resources I will need at different stages of my life. An annual budget brings to life the income I want to generate that year. I am no longer caught in the there’s never enough money to do what I want, I need to earn as much as I can or just more than someone else rat race. Money is something to be grateful for. This extends to the people that are my colleagues and customers as I make a contribution I and others value. Once resources are created it is even easier to hang on to them because there is delayed gratification more enticing than an immediate high. The money target is no longer a meaningless number to chase and becomes an inspiring milestone.
I have intentionally chosen venues and people in Mentone to run my workshops at and with. This helps me feel really comfortable when doing my work. I also feel satisfied that my work is supporting other local businesses. Business that I want to see succeed because I like the people and because it allows me three venues to connect with loved ones to create experiences that I cherish. These venues are within a ten-minute walk from my home which allows me to feel like I am on holiday as I leave the car behind. These business owners have all donated prizes to support fundraising efforts at my son’s school. How do you choose a venue to work at? My choice in venue has many layers of benefit that can only come from aligning life and job design.
If pizza, ice cream and or yoga improve your day why not make them part of what Work with Meaning is for you, it works for me.
