By Shazad

Why do we go to a job or run a business? Many people will say it's because we need to pay the bills, use our skills or keep busy. Let's take a deeper look and find more meaning in the question as well as our personal answers.

No doubt, we all need to earn some income to pay for food, shelter, clothing and other things we want and need. But this can't fully explain why we work 5 or more days each week, often by leaving the comfort of home and enduring some inconvenience during travel to and from the location of our work. What would you rather be doing if you didn't have to go to work? Would you still be fulfilled in life if you could just stay home and not have to worry about paying for basic things like the necessities of life?

If you don't have the option to stay at home, how can you find more meaning in the activity of going to work? Have you tried seeing all the other people you work with as a team you work with to accomplish some common goals? Consider how your work relationships have impacted your life and your growth as a person. The friendships and business relationships that can last after you leave a job or business to go to another job or business.

Here are some steps to figure out what work means to you:

1. If you didn't have to go to work at a job or your business, what would you rather be doing?

2. What does your ideal day of work look like and have you ever tried to achieve this by intentional actions?

3. What are the benefits of your work life that you can list based on your experience?