Finding Meaning at Work Through ‘Job Crafting’
Finding our ‘passion’ at work isn’t straightforward, but job crafting can definitely help.
Despite what some narratives across the media might lead us to think, we aren’t born with a burning sense of purpose. We have to discover and find meaning and purpose in life on our own terms. We do this by experimenting and trying new ways of doing things to find what works best for us.
Carol Ryff and colleagues at Wisconsin-Madison University have been working on a model of happiness and wellbeing that draws its framework from the ancient Greek notion of ‘flourishing’. The concept of flourishing within wellbeing is connected to the idea that happiness isn’t just about knowing how to handle adversity; it’s also our capacity to be more generative during times of stability.
Finding Meaning & Purpose Through Work
Two of the essential components in Ryff’s framework are purpose in life and positive relationships. Ryff and her colleagues have also found that those who have a clear sense of purpose live longer, show better cognitive skills with ageing, have lower rates of depression and are at lower risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
People find meaning and purpose in their life and work in a variety of different ways. For example, at the University…
