I mentioned in the last post that I left my company after 25 years. I didn’t exactly retire – still a bit too young for that – but I decided to make a major change nonetheless. I downsized my paycheck (substantially) and upgraded my life. And I’ve never been happier!

I was not expecting this move at all – but when the Lord led me to this new opportunity, I lost all fear and embraced the joy and satisfaction of this Enough Life change. I know this seems quite contrary to the traditional American ideological path to happiness – climb the ladder, increase your income, buy toys and other symbols of supposed success. But, as we have explored in other posts, there is a point of diminishing returns where the striving actually leads to emptiness, burnout, and a lack of satisfaction.

True satisfaction does not come from things (toys, income, or prestigious titles). One need only look at the tragic deaths of Kate Spade, Robin Williams, Marilyn Monroe, and Anthony Bourdain (to name just a few) to realize that money, fame, and toys do not create a satisfied life. In the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes, king Solomon wrote, “I had everything a man could desire! …I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless – like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.” (Ecclesiastes 2:8b-11 NLT)

I had been on that path for many years, and I had achieved much in the eyes of the world. Yet, I realized over the last few years that the higher paycheck came with an increasingly costly personal price tag. I was paying a high price in some very real ways to maintain the salary. I was working nearly all the time, I was pouring myself into work that seemed eternally futile, and I was too often neglecting friends and family in order to meet the relentless demands of my work. I earned a nice salary but was too distracted and exhausted to enjoy it. Much of the time I was unhappy and unfulfilled in my work life. It turns out that this move was the next logical step in my own Enough Life journey. The new position is a much better alignment for me in many ways:

• Values alignment – organizational values matching my personal values and beliefs
• Lifestyle alignment – proximity to home, less commute time, less stress, fewer hours, less expense, less “P” politics
• Goal alignment – my life’s purpose along with the organization’s purpose

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, king Solomon concluded, “So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized these pleasures are from the hand of God.” (Ecclesiastes 2:24 NLT) We find true vocational satisfaction when the mission of the organization is in alignment with our personal values and world view, and when we can use our skills to fill a critical organizational need. This truly is a blessing from above!

This week:

If your current work is not a good alignment for you, what are some other ways you can create alignment and increase satisfaction in life? Are there organizations with which you do have alignment and to which you could volunteer? Are there professional groups in alignment with your values/world view to which you could participate? Where could you find satisfaction that you are making a difference in the areas most meaningful to you?