The average adult spends about a quarter of their life at work. When so much of our time is spent at our jobs and doing other tasks that may feel like work (cleaning, cooking, care giving, etc.), it becomes that much more desirable to find work that we truly love. The kind of work we do may not always be within our control, but the way we think about work is. In this module, we’ll spend some time examining our beliefs about work and how they impact our happiness.

We’ll also look at what our priorities are for integrating our work with our life. Some people may value flexibility above all else, while others may prioritize feeling connected to their role and tasks. Both of these factors determine how integrated our work and life are.

Every person is unique, which means every person also has their own completely unique definition of what meaningful work looks like for them. Conventional definitions of the term include meaning, connection and contribution, but we’re going to go beyond that in this module to look at a few other factors. We’ll talk about why it matters to find work that you’re both good at and that challenges you just the right amount. We’ll also cover the concept of flow and examine how both autonomy and reward play a role in our happiness at work.

Now that you’ve got a good sense of what meaningful work might look like for you personally, we’re going to address some of the roadblocks that may have been holding you back from finding work you love during your life so far. In this module, we’ll look at some of our previous failures and find the appropriate antidote to move past them. We’ll also examine the hazards of maintaining the status quo and identify which people we’ll need support from along the way on our quest to find meaningful work.

Now that we’ve addressed some of the roadblocks that have been hindering your ability to find meaningful, purposeful work, we can start to move forward. This module is all about setting your sights on an end goal that you want to pursue with determination, while also learning to accept and enjoy each moment on your journey to get there - no matter how long that takes. We’ll talk about the dichotomy of those opposing desires, learn some strategies for getting value out of our current work situation, and revisit some of the concepts from module one around reframing our thoughts with an opportunity mindset.

In our final module for the course, we’ll focus on how to keep your momentum going after you’ve completed this program and well into the future. Five weeks likely wasn’t enough time for you to make a complete transformation in your work, but with the right tools and discipline, you can get to where you want to be. In this module, we’ll talk about types of resistance you may encounter on your journey to finding work you love and share some strategies for safeguarding your dream. We’ll wrap things up by creating a personalized pep talk to help you get through setbacks or dips in your motivation.