Many people have been reaching out to me to discuss how they might get unstuck in their careers. Successful by all objective measures, they’re left with an “is this it” feeling.
A lot of us are in the same boat, looking to re-calibrate our priorities and find more meaning in our work. I want to share 3 great articles I’ve read recently on this theme.
1. Reigniting your purpose in the wake of the pandemic
This article tells the inspiring self-transformation journey of Ignasius Loyola, who went from soldier to founder of the Jesuit order. The Jesuits run over 3000 schools worldwide. Few organizations can claim to have made a greater impact on education globally. The beginnings were forged through a personal crisis and years of deliberate effort.
2. Hot Streaks in Your Career Don’t Happen by Accident
I’ve written before about the idea of balancing exploration and exploitation in our lives. This article cites emerging academic research to support this idea . Only when periods of trial and error are followed right away by periods of deliberate focus does the probability of a hot streak increase significantly.
3. Are entrepreneurs happier than everybody else?
Yes, but the reasons are not intuitive. It’s not the autonomy that drives the happiness but a greater ability to find meaning in one’s work.
A quote I’m pondering:
One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful
- Sigmund Freud