"i could do anything": meaningful work

It just occurred to me that I can't label my posts "exercise 1," "exercise 2," etc., because in each chapter the numbers start back a 1.  So, I'll write the name of the exercise.

This chapter is about trying to find out what's stopping me from figuring out what I want to do.  Being "stuck," in other words.  It talks about the difference between a "job" and "work."  Barbara Sher, the author, says a "job" just pays the rent, while "work" is something that feels worth doing.  It's meaningful in some way.  I'd say a better term for "work" would be "career."

The first exercise in the chapter tells me to write down what I think "meaningful work" is.  Then I'm supposed to write down the names of people whose lives seems especially significant and explain why.

Here we go.

Meaningful work:

1. Makes me feel like I'm making a difference in the company
2. Helping people understand and get the information they need
3. Gets my blood flowing
4. Makes me want to go to work
5. Makes me feel like I'm invested in the company and that my work is helping to move the company forward
6. Challenges me and stretches me

I don't get any of these from my current job, unfortunately.  This shows me, in black and white, that I'm in the wrong job.

Significant people:

1. Former CEO of my old bank:  tried to make a difference in the community by providing something that was missing; serves as a deacon in his church
2. My bariatric surgeon:  changing people's lives, restoring them to good health and raising their self esteem
3. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Mother Theresa, for obvious reasons