The KonMari method has proven to be a desirable and valuable method for many to organize facets of our lives. One area in particular, outside of closets and kitchens, has been a relationship many of us invest time and energy into, our jobs.
Upon receiving news from some close friends of quitting their attractive marketing job and tech jobs, I began to reflect on what I am are looking for in a job? And how that relates to what others of my age have decided mattes to them. So what will future generations come to expect in the workplace when they seek a career?
This idea sparked some questions in my mind that I desired to find answers. Has the "does it spark joy?" phenomenon entered the rest of our lives? And with it, has it set a new standard for how we approach our relationships with all facets of our lives? As a result, have we lost our sense of grit and tenacity? If the getting gets tough, and our jobs don't joy us, do we leave?
My theory for the dissonance between happiness and work has percolated from my time on social media and the false expectations I've formed from those that I follow on social media. Social Media allows us to capture all of the joyful, picturesque, comical, and adventurous times in our day, and if we so choose--apply a filter. As a result, social media has functioned as a filter on our own lives. Aggregated together, it has formed an unreal reality of what work, friendships, motherhood, body image, and life should be. We are not all happy and joyful one-hundred percent of our time. I believe that the trend of sharing only those "Instagram worthy" moments has painted unreal expectations of what we must come to associate work.
Because of those plain-spoken efforts to filter out the average from those worthy of "likes," the expectations become unrealistic. What some may consider luxurious amenities, could be argued to have taken over and pushed us off balance. Is it possible that the amenities we come to expect from our employer have kept us from recognizing what it is about our work that's most important? We have redefined job satisfaction into something that may be unachievable. The truth is, our jobs, careers, relationships, wellness, and the pursuit of perfect balance has birthed a new challenge of just that, the pursuit of perfection, in the form of balancing all the aspects mentioned above of our life. Is it possible to have balance? My answer, yes and no. Balance is subjective to everyone because everyone has different priorities that make up their day. In my opinion, it takes just that-- work--to feel accomplished and to feel as though what we set out to do was achieved.
Both Forbes and Pepel Werk published articles on the topic of joy at work, and if and when they spark joy, but I struggled with finding articles that clearly outlined the divergent opinion of this idea. If we expect every relationship in our lives to spark joy, how do we know how to work through the challenges and communicate what it is we need? Jobs and our relationships aren't as disposable as that ten-year-old concert t-shirt that's been in the back of our closet. Moreover, the sentiment we have with material objects is arguably easier to overcome than a human connection. Then what is it that drives so many to depart from a job when the joy we expect to get from it dwindles? These are questions I can't answer and hope some of you will.
To help with answering these questions, please comment and share your experience. I hope this will spark a conversation that will allow me and others to understand this topic better.