You want to do meaningful work, but golly if it idn’t hard to hit that sweet spot between head in the clouds and thinking too small. After a few years of studying meaningful work, here’s what I know to be true. 

21 Truths About Meaningful Work

1. Meaningful work is available to everyone, once you know what it is and how to look for it.

2. Having choice in our careers is a privilege we take for granted.

3. The best parts of yourself should be on the payroll.

4. There are no career soul-mates.

5. The career that survives is the one that evolves.

6. Who you work with matters just as much as what you work at.

7. There’s no career destiny, only career choice.

8. Being passionate about something does not ensure that you can make money from it.

9. Making a living and making a life should go together.

10. Why you work matters.

11. When your work is energizing, you get to be more more energized in the rest of your life.

12. Income is not always directly related to effort.

13. You don’t have to be reckless, but you do have to take risks.

14. The best kind of work combines service and self-expression.

15. If you see work as a struggle, the world will step up and play that role for you.

16. Once you are clear on your vision of an ideal world, you can align your work to help bring that vision to life.

17. When you get picky, the pickings get good.

18. Career unhappiness is rarely about ability, and usually about guts.

19. It’s all one big experiment.

20. Your career should feel like home.

21. If you want to do meaningful work, you have to lead with what’s meaningful.