Your Job Is Not Your Purpose

There’s a lot of talk out there about purpose:
Finding your purpose.
Purpose x Passion.
What is your life’s purpose?

And a lot of this talk, whether through blogs, coaches, YouTube vloggers, or even the signage at your favorite lunch spot, tends to be related to career.

I’ve gotten caught up in this tsunami of a movement and been swept up in the challenge of sorting it out for myself. What happened to me is that I was unhappy in a job that I thought would make me happy. I had a role that, on paper, seemed to be aspirational and admirable. But it just didn’t feel like the right fit so I thought something must be wrong with me. (Instead of realizing that the environment was not helping me succeed. I didn’t have any creative collaborator, no mentorship, and limited resources for making great work.)

Nothing was wrong with me.
The job just wasn’t the right fit.

So I started researching purpose and thinking about my career a little differently.

The idea of a “sole purpose” (soul’s purpose?) is misleading. Instead, I believe we should be gravitating towards the things that give us meaning. That make our lives feel richer and more interesting. Where we’re challenged, where we can provide value, and where we can serve other people. And in the end?

Our work is rarely our sole purpose in life.

Our careers may just be a series of jobs or projects. Hopefully some of which gave us the feeling of being useful, or helpful, or part of our identity. But it’s ok to say (and believe, and be) that your art is your purpose. Or raising your family. Or commitment to your family or religion. Or writing a novel. Things that may never pay you a salary. And so you need work to support that purpose. A job becomes crucial in just supporting you and that purpose. It serves that role, don’t conflate the idea with having a job as having purpose.

Because oftentimes, what gives you meaning and what you value, where you find yourself challenged and most useful may not be at work. Your job is not your purpose.

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Caveday is a company aimed at improving your relationship to work. We write regular posts on Medium and send out monthly newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

Jake Kahana is a cofounder of Caveday. Sign up for his personal emails, called “The Email Refrigerator” here.