We all want meaningful work. But we can’t rely on others to give it to us. We need to take responsibility for building a career that has purpose — now and well into the future. Start by setting aside your own personal career day to think strategically about your career journey and what matters most to you. Calculate how many more years, days, and hours you expect to be working, even part-time. Most people vastly underestimate how long a career lasts, so do some simple math. Hint: The average retirement age in the United States is 65, but it’s going up. Many people are choosing, or needing, to work well into their seventies. Take inventory of how much “career fuel” — transportable skills, meaningful experiences, and enduring relationships — you have. These are skills you can carry with you from job to job, company to company, and industry to industry. Assess whether your fuel levels are growing, stagnating, or perhaps even declining. Then ask yourself what you can do in the next year to replenish them.
Adapted from "Developing a Strategy for a Life of Meaningful Labor," by Brian Fetherstonhaugh
