Job, Career, and Calling
The Art of Happiness at Work have made by extensive conversations psychiatrist Howard Cutler with the Dalai Lama. They have teamed the discussion about what makes life meaningful and How to find happines in the place where we spend most of our time. Actually, people mostly runs their lives in work, wether it's in the home or at an office. In the book The Art of Happiness, His Holiness the Dalai Lama spread his words and wisdom and massage of inner peace and captured the imagination of America.
In this book, basically explores these, arguably the best research on attitude and general orientation toward work was a 1997 study conducted by Dr. Amy Wrezesniewski, an organizational psychologist and professor of business at New York University, which showed that workers are generally divided into the three levels of focus or distinct categories:
1. The first group views work as just
a Job. Their primary focus is on financial rewards like salary or wage that the work brings.
2. The second group of individuals views work as
a Career. The primary focus of them is on advancement. They are motivated by prestige, social status, and the power that comes with titles and higher designations at work.
3. The third category is those who view their work as
a Calling. The people in this category are focus on work as a higher purpose. They do the work for the sake of the work itself. There is less separation between their job and the other aspects of their life.
For this situation, The Dalai Lama reflected. "There is always a way to find a higher purpose to one's work. Of Course, There may be some individuals who may not need to work because of their special financial circumstances. Under such circumstances, they can enjoy their freedom and enjoy the privilege they have, and that's one thing. But among those who need to work to make a living, then it is important for these individuals to recognize that, first of all, they are part of a society. They are members of the human society that they are living in. And also, they should recognize that by actively participating in this workforce, in some way they are acting out their role as a good citizen in their society, a productive member of society. And in this way, they can realize that indirectly they are making a contribution to the entire society. So if they think along these lines, then they can see some purpose in what they are doing that is beyond just providing a means of livelihood for themselves. That alone can be enough to give them a sense of purpose, a sense of calling. And this idea can be reinforced if they simply ask themselves, What is the other alternative? Just hanging around. Then there is the danger of drifting into some unhealthy habits, such as resorting to drugs, being part of a gang, or acting as a destructive member of society. So, there, not only are you not contributing to the society that you live in, but in fact you are undermining the very stability of the society that you are part of. If any worker thinks along those lines, they will see a higher purpose to their work."
Then finally, each of us has the capacity to cultivate greater work satisfaction by transforming focus a job into a calling.