This is why you are unhappy with your work and what to do about it

How the AI revolution will transform work, the wisdom of King Solomon and how to Reinvent Your Career

The sun is not yet up as I write this.

The balcony of a condo we rented in Corpus Christi, Texas, to get away for a few days overlooks a marina. On my birthday, the salty air, rain, and lightning show are my backdrop as I reflect on my 55 years of life. 

I've been able to do and experience so much, it feels like four lifetimes. I've also underachieved in many ways. This existential anxiety seems to be the cost of being human, one of billions in the ocean of humanity, living on a blue dot in the vastness of the universe. Attempting to measure the meaning of a few measly decades in contrast with eternity is a meaningless exercise, according to King Solomon, an overachiever and philosopher who experienced similar introspection.

I turn to Ecclesiastes and see the irony. If one of the most accomplished, wise and wealthy humans in history cannot escape the fact that “we are but a mist” what is there left for us, mere mortals? There is something, in fact. Something we can all anchor our lives in.

"Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life."

 - Ecclesiastes 5:18

I recently hosted a webinar with people from as far as Jamaica, South Africa, Great Britain, and Latin America tuning in. It was focused on our "work under the sun" and how our deep desire to enjoy it, for it to be meaningful can make us restless - longing for change.

Many of us are so unhappy because of the cultural divorce between work and a sense of meaning. How can we be happy if the most creative and productive hours of the day feel meaningless? 

I've had five careers in 30 years. I’ve made significant changes, mostly because I refuse to spend precious time on just a job. I want to enjoy my work under the sun during the short life God has given me. It's not easy for anyone to make risky moves, but we can all reimagine and reinvent our work life to match our calling and purpose.

It starts by reimagining why we work and how it makes us feel.

When we work for income - we are miserable even in good times.

When we work for impact - we are joyful even in hard times. 

There are practical ways to nurture a new awareness and develop the qualities needed to find our way to meaningful work and fulfilling careers.

In this episode of Headspace - I distill 45 minutes + Q&A of my recent webinar into under 10 minutes of ways to make the change and start working for impact.

Surprisingly, when you start working for impact and not income - more income tends to come your way. [ To sign up for my next free webinar, click here.]

Enjoy this episode where I discuss how transcending our natural tendencies and cultivating new qualities are the key to reigniting career and calling.

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What I'm watching: The Gentlemen - a Guy Ritchie mini-series on Netflix. An instant classic. 

What I'm reading: The 5AM Club - Own Your Morning, Elevate Your Life by Robin Sharma

I get up before sunrise every morning - one of my not-so-secret weapons of productivity and creative flow. The book's teaching is told as a parable, and it beautifully describes the value of the most important hour of the day. 

What you may have missed: 

I'm publishing the first draft of my book, "Little Book of Big Reasons to Love America" chapter by chapter for my readers here. You can find Chapter 1 here. 

My guest podcast appearance on the Modern Church Leader podcast.