If I were to ask you, "Do you love your job?"
What would your answer be?
Would you be one of those people who express how they feel as if they have won the career lottery? Do you feel like you enjoy it so much, that you would even do it for free?
Or would your response be, "It pays the bills. Although I don't love it, it's ok. It's secure, easy and I don't need to worry about how to pay my bills every month?"
What makes the difference for someone who loves what they do, vs. someone who sees it as a means to an end?
Chris Guillebeau is the author of the Bestseller "The $100 Start Up."
In his book, "Born For This" he highlights a great model to help you figure this out. This model helps to understand what takes it from a job to winning the career lottery.
Because when you were growing up, nobody ever showed you the importance of these things. You were either told you could do anything you wanted to do. Or told, you could never do that in Belize. Either way, you became an adult and had to choose.
Some settled for work they hate, because the pay is good. While others settled for work they love, but are always stressed about money.
A select few have found work that makes them happy. Work that they are good at, and proud of. Work that they can make enough money doing.
They have found balance in the Joy-Money-Flow Model.
The Joy-Money-Flow Model
He calls it the Joy-Money-Flow model. Let's tackle each part of the model one at a time.
Joy
This focuses on doing what you love. Most people aren't even sure what they love. Yet, to live a happy life you need to find something that gives you joy. Something that makes you happy.
Then find work that helps you to do that thing. After all, spending 40+ hours of your week doing something that you love, is a great way to make you happy.
If you don't enjoy what you spend most of your time doing, you will be looking for escapes at every turn. So although you won't be in complete joy 100% of the time, you should be happy to wake up and go to work.
Does your work bring you joy? If your answer is anything but yes, then it doesn't.
Money
I always talk about being rich. But if that's not an aspiration of yours, that's okay.
Still, money is something you need to consider when choosing a job or career.
Like everyone else, you have bills to pay. You need to eat. You need a place to live, and if you have a family to take care of, you need to think of them too.
The ideal work scenario is finding a job that provides you with enough money for you to live a comfortable life. Even if you are not looking to drive fancy cars, you should not end up worried and stressed out about money.
Because who can ever enjoy their life if they are always worrying about that?
Flow
Have you ever sat down to do something, and before you knew it, it was lunch time? The time flew by so fast. You weren't checking the clock every 30 minutes wondering why only 5 minutes had passed.
This is the state of flow. It's the state of doing something when you lose track of time. You amplify your skills and zoom in your focus.
Usually flow work is work that you are really good at. You impress others with the work that you do.
Although you won't be getting into flow 100% of the time, you want a job that you will get into flow as much as possible.
Joy+Money= Unfulfilled potential.
Now, what if you find a job that offers you joy, and money, but there is no getting into flow?
The result would be feeling like something is missing. Like you are not doing all that you could be doing. It makes it feel like the work that you are doing is not enough.
You feel like all your potential is not used. This can be unfulfilling.
Joy+Flow=Stress and Starvation
And if you do what makes you happy, and it allows you to get into flow as often as possible. If you aren't making enough money doing it, then you find yourself living like a struggling artist.
Loving the art, and the work that they do, but constantly running away from bills.
Nobody wants to live like this. There is a lack of security when you don't know where your next meal will be coming from.
Money+Flow=Success but with no purpose
Let's say you can get into flow often, doing what you are good at. You receive a handsome pay for the work that you do, but the work doesn't make you happy.
Then you will be "successful" while lacking purpose in your life. Meaning, you will have all the material things others look at to determine success. But you will feel a void. A void in the meaning of life.
Joy-Money-Flow=Career Lottery
Having a combination of all three of these, you will feel like you have won the Career lottery.
These are the three components needed to make you feel happy at work. Know that you are doing something you are good at, and have enough money to live a comfortable life.
Having these three things doesn't make your work feel like you are settling. You are happy to wake up and go to work. You spend most of your day doing something that you love.
Have you won the career lottery?
The Challenge
If you already have a job, take some time to check these three aspects of it. If you haven't hit the career lottery yet, brainstorm what would need to change to get you there.
If you aren't working yet, now is a good time to consider the three items. Use them to help you determine what your ideal career path would be.
Remember, you shouldn't feel pressured. If you make a mistake, it's ok. With jobs like in everything else in life, we first have to do it. Then we can figure out if it is the right thing for us.
You also need to realize that as you grow and evolve, the requirements for each will change. It's a great exercise to keep repeating now and again.
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