Is What You’re Doing Worth the Money?

February 2023

Are you one of those people who jumps out of bed at the crack of dawn, like an eager beaver who can’t wait to get to work doing something that fulfills and energizes you beyond words? Do your workdays happily fly by even faster than when you go on vacation?  Do you encourage your friends to work where you do, so they can be gratified, too? If your answer isn’t YES to each of these questions, why is that?

Life is too short not to spend your days doing something you love.  If you’re not fulfilled in your role, then why are you doing it? If you’re just there for the money, is it really worth it?

Think about it. If you had a magic wand and could **poof** magically create a job you would love to do, what would it look like? What environment and key characteristics might it entail—that you don’t experience now but perhaps could—if you had a heart-to-heart brainstorming session with your manager?  If your boss is part of your problem, then have an introspective heart-to-heart with yourself to assess what needs to change to get more giddy-up going in your life.

I’m fortunate that I’ve loved virtually every day of my work life, regardless of whether I was at the bottom of the ladder in a Fortune 100 or leading an enterprise to accelerate the advancement of high potentials to the top of best place to work organizations. On those rare occasions that I wasn’t loving it, I deliberately made a change.

The fulfillment I gained from each of my roles along the way had little to do with pay. My personal satisfaction came from the inherent characteristics of the environment and the nature of my interactions with the people I supported. It was really that simple. My fulfillment came from helping people succeed and find joy—whether they were staff, peers, superiors, clients, friends, or anyone else within my sphere of influence.

In my book, Heartfelt Leadership: How to Capture the Top Spot and Keep on Soaring, I tell the story of my very first “corporate” job—which still ranks as my best job ever—as a dancer at Disneyland when I was a high school senior. While the pay was terrific—compared to what most kids earned at that time—I honestly would have done it for free, just for the honor and privilege of working with the best-of-the-best entertainers and for the pure joy of performing for thousands of wide-eyed, happy people each day.

I still feel that rush of excitement whenever I think about all the sparkling faces on the children and parents watching in awe and believing in the magic as we “cast members” joyfully fleeted down Main Street. I’ve taken that expectation of making magic happen to every workplace I’ve been a part of ever since.  

That’s the kind of expectation I urge you to strive for every time you wave your own magic wand to envision your next ideal role. Consider in your heart what meaning and fulfillment would look like for you. What characteristics might it entail? What would the environment be like? What pleasure would you hope to derive from the experience?

Whether your “Imagineering” indulgence is on your own or done in collaboration with a mentor or your manager, your intent should be to envision the environmental characteristics that would enable you to experience your own personal magnificence every day, as you become your best self.

One of my favorite stories on this topic—one I share in my upcoming book Strong Suit: Leadership Success Secrets from Women on Top—was told by Angela Ahrendts, former CEO of Burberry. While being interviewed at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit in 2016, she was asked “What would you tell your 16-year-old self, looking back?”  Angela responded this way:

Be your best self. Know who you are. Know what you know and know what you don’t know. Everybody has gifts that they have been given.

I think it is so easy along the way to become incredibly insecure about everything you don’t know. I think along the way, people will tell you to—they will try to convince you to—become something that you’re not.

Early in my days, a man from human resources told me I was doing a good job, but I really wasn’t CEO material—that I needed a coach.

I was young, so I said, “Oh, okay.”

I was supposed to be in Minneapolis for a week so they could teach me how to present better, I guess. It was funny because the very first day they did these videos and then they played them back.

I liked it. I liked it! I felt the energy. I felt really positive. Then they spent the next five hours critiquing every single thing I did. “Don’t move your hands. You talk too fast,” you know.

At the end of the day, while I was supposed to be there all week long, I was so upset, I just looked at them and I said, “I like me. This is who I am. I don’t care if I become a CEO.”

Of course, Angela eventually did become a CEO at Burberry, thanks to her own unique flair and pizazz. She wisely refused to tamp down that special spark that enabled her to thrive in her own special way—a way that brought her great joy and fulfillment. As Angela said, it’s all about being your best self—knowing who you are and the gifts you have been given.

So, take stock of who you are and zero in on manifesting whatever it is that brings you true fulfillment. A little introspection can be well worth the effort.

Real happiness isn’t generated by money. It comes from experiencing your own personal magnificence.