Elizabeth Fournier is a mortician. While at college, she made it clear that her interest in the mortuary business was more than a joke but her friends never took her seriously. However, 19 years later, they asked her to bury their family members. Fournier feels honored to be able to assist people during what can be the worst time of their lives. In her eyes, helping families by organizing a funeral when it is needed is a role consistent with the work of midwives and nurses. Fournier considers her contribution to her community to be equally significant.
Many of the reasons why Fournier loves her unconventional work are actually conventional, at least according to career satisfaction studies that draw a correlation between job fulfillment and personal contribution. It has been discovered that the happiest workers are those in caregiver roles such as firefighters, teachers, the clergy and physical therapists.
Job satisfaction is the result of having a sense of autonomy, purpose and the desire to do things because they’re useful, fun and interesting. Salary doesn’t necessarily correlate with job satisfaction. It may attract people to the front door, but something else keeps them from going out the back.
Yet for all the people who love their careers, there are a surprisingly high number of people who admit to being dissatisfied with their job. If feelings about our careers tend more toward disenchantment, the good news is that there are several steps we can take to improve our situation.
If we love what we’re doing 80 percent of the time, we’re doing pretty well. The energy we get from the work we enjoy probably far outweighs the drain of the things we don’t like. We should stay focused on the aspects of our work that bring us pleasure.
If we feel unappreciated or ignored, we should find ways to become more visible. We should seek opportunities to voice our opinion. If our job is boring, we could request more responsibility. If the work is too easy, we could ask for new challenges or training to help develop our skills.
We should try to discover where the intersection of what we enjoy doing, what we’re good at and what brings value to the marketplace lies. Identifying this overlap will help us to realize the value of our work and this realization will bring satisfaction.
Lastly, if we don’t get along with our bosses or co-workers, we should try to limit interactions with them as much as possible. Focus on our performance and results.
If these strategies still leave us restless, it may be time to start looking for a new job. Remember, your job means you own it and live with it, possibly these days, 24/7! Therefore, it is best to try to love it.