Most people I know struggle with enjoying their jobs because they can’t find purpose in what they do. 

I meet them all the time–people who desire to serve and love God vocationally, but have trouble finding meaning in the daily grind.

I can relate.

When I was a management consultant, I was staffed on a REALLY challenging client, doing PAINFULLY boring work. 

I’m not an IT guy, but my client was highly technical in nature. I was overseeing servers for multiple call centers, troubleshooting issues, and responding to calls throughout the day (and oftentimes night!). I had to learn a lot—fast. And it wasn’t fun most days, which led to a lot of complaining on my part.

One day, I came home from work griping about everything; and what my wife said to me forever CHANGED MY LIFE:

“John, I think you’re trying to find meaning and purpose inherent in the work itself. But you don’t like what you’re doing at the moment and it’s not very inspiring. So, what if you tried bringing purpose TO THE WORK you’re doing, rather than looking for purpose in the work itself?”

It was like she spoke into my soul because I suddenly became very quiet and knew instantly what she was saying was true.

From that moment forward, I started learning what Nietzsche meant when he wrote,

“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” 

And what the Apostle Paul meant when he said,

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…” (Col. 3:23).

On the drive into work, I would pray and ask the Lord to show me how I could add value.

I started to notice how my gifts of communication and writing could be utilized to design job aids and user guides that didn’t exist. I leveraged my knack for networking by circulating through the IT department to ask where people were experiencing problems so that my team could potentially solve them.

And suddenly, I felt purpose and JOY.

My gifts were being put to use and I was serving others to make their lives easier. That felt really good. And you know what else?! My complaining stopped and I began to flourish in what seemed like a desert land.

I was able to turn it around by asking the Lord where I could at value, how my strengths could serve the greater vision, and then actively looking for ways to define the WHY behind my “how.”

When I learned to bring purpose TO MY JOB, identify value that I could bring to work (rather than looking for work to give me value), and stop being so passive, my world changed!

So, whether you’re a stay-at-home mom who struggles to find meaning in endless chores, a salesman struggling with the greater purpose of one more phone call, or a teacher missing the meaning of another math lesson, you can partner with the Lord to develop this mindset and turn it all around.

Today, ask the Lord,

“What are the unique gifts I have that you want me to bless the world with today?“

“Show me how to assign meaning and value to the most simple tasks today.“

“What do you want to say about the value of my work–at home or in the office?“

At Live the More, we want to encourage you and give you tools for how you can live a life of purpose, and meaning, especially when it’s hard and difficult to find. But starting with your mindset and discovering how you can bring purpose to work is the first and most foundational step.