Are You Living a Fulfilled Work Life? Answer These 3 Questions to Get Clarity and Confirmation on Your Next Steps

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Dear Real Academics, 

Are you living a fulfilled work life? 


I’ve seen people use this logic on social media:
We live in a burn-out culture.
Therefore, we should  do the minimum required of us at work. 

That sounds like a sad way to live out my work life. 

To be clear, I’m not advocating burning out in your work life.

Nor am I advocating mediocracy.

I AM advocating thriving in your work life.

[Disclaimer: This post is not about self or time management. These are important concepts. There is no shortage of helpful books and podcasts on the topic. This post is about taking a step back and reflecting on the “bigger picture” regarding fulfillment at work]. 

If you want to thrive in your work life as an alternative to sad mediocrity or unhealthy burn-out, read on to start taking steps in the right direction: 

(1) Answer: What does a fulfilled life mean for you? 


A career coach I respect, Ken Coleman, defines a fulfilled life as… “being the person you were created to be in order to make this world a better place." 

You can use the quote above or something different to help you answer the first question.  

(2) Answer: If you stay where you are, will that lead to your fulfilled life? 


The “where” may literally be your place of work. 

BUT…it may also be a segment of the place in which you work. 

Ken Coleman explains that in the context of work you should think about:
 
(a) Talent - what you do best 
(b) Passion - what you most love to do 
(c) Mission - results that matter deeply to you 

When all three of these pieces meet, you are fulfilling your life's purpose. 

For example, you may be using "talent" and "passion" at work but may not be aligning with the core values or "mission" of where you work. 

In this case, do you need to move to a totally different work environment all together because you don’t align with their values or mission? 

OR

As another example, you may be in a place where you align strongly with the “mission” and “passions”, but you are not really using your “talents” to their aligned or full potential. 

In this case, might you be better able to use your talents if you moved to a different role or position in your work environment? 

(3) Answer: If needed, what is holding you back from making a change? 


This is probably the hardest question to answer.

Is it fear of talking to your supervisor? Is it doubt that you can make a change? 

Naming whatever is holding you back is important.

But you must then work through that fear to not stay stuck. 

For a post related to working through and living without fear, check out, this blog post. 

Closing 

I hope the exercise of answering these 3 questions was helpful.

I hope it provided you clarity and confirmation on your next steps. 

As always, know we are here cheering you on!

Until next time, happy writing, productivity, and truth-seeking, 

Maggie 

  • At Real Academics we help individuals be joyful, productive, and successful in their academic, learning, and life pursuits. Find out more about us and what we can do alongside you at www.therealacademics.com. 

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