A Tale of Two Workers: Finding Fulfillment in the Workplace
By: Eve Cai and Gabby Llamzon
As we spend the majority of our adult lives working, an essential aspect of looking after our mental wellness is how we feel about our work. Viewing something to which you dedicate most of your time and energy as merely a source of livelihood can be draining. Dreading the weekdays, people find themselves wondering, “Is this all there is to life?” In this article, we take a glimpse as to how fulfillment at work is understood from two perspectives:
Eve
A college senior majoring in a business program
A soon-to-be member of the workforce who is still figuring out her path
An aspiring member of the corporate world looking to make her mark
Gabby
A once aspiring doctor turned Psychology major and mental health advocate
A member of the workforce who has experienced being a part of different types of organizations working for mental health (government, non-profit)
An individual who has discovered what she wants to work for in life
What does a fulfilling work-life look like for you?
Eve: When I was younger, my parents would say, “Study well so that you can earn more money in the future and live a comfortable life.” With this, my earliest notion of work was defined in financial terms - where “making it” in life meant landing a high-paying job. I thought the positive feelings would necessarily follow from work centered on my strengths and competencies. However, I had experiences where I could produce quality results, and yet, I did not find myself facing them with a sense of eagerness.
For career advice, I was told to choose my path based on my passion or calling. While I realized that this was my missing factor, I am also still in the process of figuring this out. Hence, I struggled with the question: until all these elements align, how then do I have a healthy relationship with my work characterized by a sense of fulfillment? As I gained more experiences, I realized that understanding the impact of what I do beyond it being an obligation (e.g. personal and societal development) encouraged a sense of genuine service. For me, this is manifested by an attitude where I actively want to be engaged and am not constantly looking forward to the two-day weekend as my freedom. Nevertheless, it does not mean that the rest of the five days would be smooth-sailing. The difference lies in how fulfilling work triggers the fight response in me during stressful moments, while unfulfilling work triggers the flight response.
Gabby: When I was growing up, I had a notion that work is just something that productive people of society do. In school, we were encouraged to do well in our studies so that we can eventually land a job that would be a source of income. It would enable me to live a good life where I can pay for the things that I need, such as food, house utilities, and wants such as clothes, shoes, or expenses for travel. It was also what I saw in the adults I grew up with. They studied hard, graduated, landed a job, and earned money. This was the formula I grew up with.
However, reaching this point in my career has taught me that a fulfilled work life goes beyond earning a living. Although earning a salary is indeed still important, I now know that there are equally important things one must consider. My formula for a fulfilled work life then became earning a living, working with my strengths, working with people who share the same goals and are good for my wellbeing, and working towards what I see as my purpose in life. This might sound very ideal, but I believe that every individual in one way or another also yearns to be engaged in what they do - not just for the external rewards that they gain from working but also intrinsic motivators where they feel satisfied, fulfilled, and content knowing that they are doing well and serving a greater purpose.
Fulfilled work-life = finances + strengths + shared goals + purpose
What do you think enables and hinders you from reaching that kind of work-life?
Gabby: Looking back on my journey, I realized that there were three drivers that led me to my new formula. I can relate it to one of Nido's commercials where children experienced the 3Es - Expose, Explore and Experience.
Expose - Growing up, there was already this openness to try out different activities. I was not one who would sit in the corner and passively participate. At an early age, I already enjoyed speaking in public and was always ecstatic to break down ideas we learn in class into more digestible content. Even while I was working, I continuously exposed myself to different disciplines and saw how they intersect. Apart from these, I was also exposed to hardships. I experienced being at the lowest of the low, having that feeling that I wasn't in control of what was going on in my life. But it was at that point where I realized that I don't want other people to feel powerless. In the event that they do, I would like to serve as a reminder that once you hit rock bottom, there is nowhere to go but up.
Explore - Now that I knew what my strengths were and what I wanted to work toward, this was where I started exploring and applying them. I initially took a pre-Medicine course. I then realized that I was more interested in knowing why people engage in behavior that they know is detrimental for them. I shifted to Psychology and explored work in different settings to see how each one operates and how these can be used as platforms for my growth and for pushing forward the greater good I would want to see in the world.
Experience - From where I am standing now, I can say that the most important factor that will enable you to find a fulfilling work-life is how you make sense of the experience. Finding a fulfilling work life is never about the destination. It has something to do more with how you savor, give meaning and draw lessons from each opportunity and setback you encounter. It's about learning how to create your own formula and figuring out what works for you.
Eve: Because of how I initially understood work and success as the means to a comfortable future, knowing my calling or passion was not always an important factor for me. Eventually, I chose the business program I am in because I believed it would open the most doors for me. Unfortunately, I find myself, as a senior, still not having a concrete career plan. Over time, I realized my lack of reflection has played a key role in my journey towards finding work fulfillment. For the longest time, I was under the impression that the thought of my desired job would naturally come to mind. However, it was rather easy for me to get carried away by going with the motions instead of being intentional with my efforts. As I have not figured out what I am genuinely passionate about nor have I always associated work with fulfillment, it has fostered in me a tendency to be more concerned with how my career sounds on paper. With this, I found myself pursuing opportunities primarily based on the potential external sense of achievement, and secondarily, based on my genuine interest. In spite of these, I believe that having a growth-oriented mindset can allow me to see my work as more than just an obligation or a source of income. Rather, I can see it as a way for me to continue developing and investing in myself. This way, I don’t feel like I am stuck in a situation I don’t want to be in.
What factors from your work organization do you think would help you reach that point?
Eve: Despite having different work experiences, Gabby and I found that we had similar sentiments about what we need from a workplace to have a sense of fulfillment.
1. Safe environment. During the first days of my previous internship, I remember being so paranoid of committing a mistake that even the simplest tasks drained me. As I noticed my boss was very transparent about her shortcomings, I felt less pressured to have everything perfect at one go and doubted my decisions less. The paranoia was then replaced with eagerness.
2. Continuous learning. For my first internship, I reached a point where I felt stuck and was no longer progressing when my boss suddenly asked me what else I wanted to learn about. With this question, I instantly became more invigorated. I realized that more than just contributing to the company, I was there to grow as well.
3. Continuous feedback. In PW, attention to the development of their members is evident in their strong feedback culture that is carried on even by the interns heading their own projects. They also conduct consultations to help members realize their strengths and apply them in the organization. Having experienced this, I was able to have a better grasp of my unique role and potential contributions to PW.
4. Clear purpose. As a business student, I initially came into PW with the worry of fitting in due to not having any psych-related knowledge. Once the vision and mission of the organization were explained to me, I had a more concrete hold of what I needed to be working towards, which helped me better understand my place in spite of my current limitations.
Final Thoughts: What words of advice do you think would help those trying to find fulfillment at work?
Eve: As I am still on the path of exploring my calling and passion, I am fully aware that I may find myself in situations or work experiences where I will not have a direct sense of eagerness or engagement. And, when we are not in the position of where we desire to be, it’s easy for resentment to crawl in - the complete opposite of fulfillment. As my professor would always say, “That path that you are on is the path that you are on. Do not judge yourself for it.” Regardless of where you are, try to frame whatever experiences you may have in a bigger context - imagining its impacts beyond what it does for the organization that you work for, such as on a personal or societal level. With this mindset, you encourage a more personal relationship with work and prevent yourself from resigning to the feeling of work as a mere obligation.
Gabby: There is no single formula on how to find fulfillment at work. But you can gain insight and use the experiences of others to build your own. The reason why I love telling my story is that there are people who need these as guides and as proof that finding fulfillment in what you do is possible. In the event that you are like me, who have found your place and purpose in the world, share your story. On the other hand, if you are still on the journey of finding fulfillment, you can search for other stories to gain insight. You can also ask questions such as -
Do I have meaningful relationships at work?
Am I growing personally and professionally at work?
Is my work making an impact that is meaningful to me?
Remember, finding fulfillment at work is intentional and you hold the power to create meaning in what you do.
References:
Schwartz, T. (2018, March 7). Create a Growth Culture, Not a Performance-Obsessed One.
Harvard Business Review.
https://hbr.org/2018/03/create-a-growth-culture-not-a-performance-obsessed-one.
