For the longest time in history, human beings had little idea of life purpose, job satisfaction or career aspirations.

For thousands of years, life has been a matter of survival and, even when we stopped running from hungry bears and developed into more advanced civilizations, we still had to deal with ongoing wars (long periods of peace in most areas of the world are a relatively new thing), epidemics and general life conditions that, even for the wealthiest, were no better than in today’s lowest-GDP countries.

Whether you were born a slave in ancient Egypt, carrying stones on your back under the scorching sun all day long and getting whipped anytime you’d drop to your knees, or a seventeenth-century merchant organizing expeditions with vessels stocked with spices in rough waters across the globe, chances are you were so preoccupied with material and survival issues, that you had little time to sit around and wonder what was your true passion in life and how much satisfaction you were getting from your current career track.

Job satisfaction surveys in corporations weren’t a thing until around 1930 and, nearly ninety years later, we still seem to have a long way to go, given that only 13% of employees worldwide declare themselves engaged at work.

Three common approaches to career

In modern high-tech societies, where most of the population has flocked to urban areas and fundamental survival threats have been largely eradicated, we might say that there’s three types of people at any point in time, holding different approaches to career.

The first approach is held by those who still view their work and career merely as a tool to support their lifestyle or feed their family. These people are usually caught in the rat race: they may be materially unable to change their current situation, but in many cases they haven’t awoken to their true passions, they’re not focusing on learning new skills to improve their situation, they do not value personal development and self-mastery and they’ve more or less surrendered to the idea that work is just a price to pay for their income, without a dimension of meaning or satisfaction attached to it.

The second approach is held by those who think they need to figure out their purpose first. These people may be in school, on a gap year, on a soul searching journey, or working at a job they don’t exactly love. They believe that work should stir their soul and whatever they’re currently doing isn’t the right thing. They think they need to figure out their passion, destiny or purpose, so they can finally act upon it and then they’ll be happy with their work.

The third approach is held by those who expect their work to give them a sense of reward and satisfaction. These people tend to value their career development, learning new skills, and view work as more than a transaction. They expect work to offer them opportunities for growth, impact, meaning and accomplishment. They want to enjoy what they do and feel satisfied. And nine times out of ten, they end up feeling stuck.

Finding your purpose won’t cut it

Whichever of the three mindsets above you may have, the odds are stacked against you.

If you just painfully trade your labor and time for money as a necessary evil, life can’t possibly feel very joyful.

If you’re waiting for that aha moment when you know exactly what’s your purpose and think that life will be on a blissful autopilot mode ever after, then you’re in for a rude awakening.

And if you expect your career to give you satisfaction, you’re in for a bumpy roller coaster ride: promotions and demotions come and go, bosses come and go, luck comes and goes, good and bad teams come and go, profits come and go, customers come and go.

It’s no wonder that career aspirations for most are rarely met and job satisfaction isn’t usually  sky-high.

One thing you can surely do – although it’s the topic for another post – is to align your career to your deepest passions and values. Life may even clearly reveal to you what is your personal mission on this earth, that’s not impossible.

However, you need to understand that, while this would be a great thing, it won’t be the cure for your career dissatisfaction either. 

Aligning your business or career to something that truly matters to you is certainly an extremely strategic, sane and sound move, because it will sustain your motivation much stronger in the long run, thereby also increasing your odds of success. But that’s about it.

All the dissatisfaction and frustration that come from poor responses from colleagues, bosses, customers or the market, obstacles, enemies, stuff breaking, dead ends, trials and errors, cul-de-sacs, pains, mundane tasks and all the rest, will still be there along the path. They won’t disappear just because you’re living your purpose. If anything, when you live your purpose – as opposed to coasting through life- your path usually doubles down on obstacles, as a test for your commitment.

Your ‘deepest purpose’: a fourth approach

No matter how you’ve been living your whole career up to this point, whether it was in any of the three mindsets discussed above, luckily there is a fourth way.

You won’t find this discussed in any HR booklet. Actually very few people are willing to align their whole career to this principle, but at Zen @ Wall Street we’re not afraid to take the road less travelled.

The purpose of your career is not even remotely what you think. 

You believe that you need to find a purpose in what you do, so that you can be satisfied. You also believe that you need to grow, so you can get a better job, position or achieve more with your role or business.

But it’s quite the opposite.

You must not view growth as a support to your career or purpose. You must view your career as a support to your personal and spiritual growth.

There is no answer to the career aspiration problem, other than understanding it’s a wrongly framed problem.

Your deepest purpose in life isn’t to grow your business or your career: it is to grow yourself as a human being. And that’s when your career becomes nothing but a tool for your growth.

Your growth isn’t subordinated to your career; your career or your business are subordinated to your growth. From here, everything assumes a different perspective.

Your job is boring? It can teach you a lot about presence and mindfulness. Your boss is an a-hole? It can teach you a lot about resilience or compassion (too easy to feel only for those below you!). Your office is toxic? It can teach you a lot about grounding yourself. The learning curve is too steep? It can teach you about optimizing your learning methods. You’re overwhelmed by exciting events at your start-up? It can teach you about what truly matters and the importance of slowing down. You’re overwhelmed by bad news? It can teach you about what truly matters in life and the importance of slowing down.

You’re stuck? It can teach you about patience. You’re on the fast track? It can teach you about how hollow success can be. Stock price goes up? It can teach you not to get attached, it will pass. Stock price tanks? It will pass too. Seminar room is empty? It teaches you to give your best for the love of what you do whether it’s two or two thousand people. Full house for the event? It teaches you about holding your nerves. Dealing with derelicts? It teaches you about treating all men equally. Dealing with CEOs? It teaches you about treating all men equally. Everyone around your workplace is fake? It teaches you about how not to lose your integrity. Everyone in the marketplace is fake? It teaches you how to make a stand for what you believe in, and not compromise. And the list goes on infinitely.

This is radically different from what’s being taught in the business world at large, in human resource practices and society as a whole.

When your personal – and more significantly, spiritual – growth becomes your primary directive in life, then your career, just like anything else, only becomes a tool, an instrument like another to grow yourself further. This doesn’t mean you stop pursuing your passions and interests. On the contrary, you’re strengthened in your pursuit, because you win no matter what happens. Everything you can use for your growth.

And the ultimate irony is: when you devote everything to growth other than aspiration, you’re likely to become more successful than if you had aimed at success directly.

Also published on Medium.