Intrinsic Joy vs. the Checklist

One of the ways to increase your happiness in the workplace is to figure out which tasks and projects bring you “intrinsic” fulfillment rather than fulfillment after the fact (as in, you’re pleased when you check it off your “to do” list or your boss gives you a nod of recognition or it looks good on your resume). Probably many of you are scratching your heads now, puzzled at the concept. I did, too, when my friend and amazing coach Joyce Bader urged me to think about what intrinsically fulfills me as I continue my transition this summer. We Westerners don’t talk or think about intrinsic joy very much – more we focus on results, the external evidence of our achievements.

So probably no surprise that when I Googled “intrinsic joy,” a bunch of Eastern religious websites and blogs popped up. Here’s a definition from one:

(Intrinsic joy) is organic, that is, it arises from and resides within the organism itself. It's a substance that flows within the body, not an idea in the mind. It's part of the machinery of our lives, not part of the concept of them.

What that means to me is: when I’m doing a task (writing this blog, for example), does the feeling of my fingers on the keyboard, the sound of their clicking, watching the letters form neat rows on the screen, seeing the pages fill, imagining the response of you, the audience… do those things satisfy me and make me happy? Or more, does it make me happy to say I’ve done it?

I’m a runner and heard another runner say once that they didn’t particularly enjoy running, but they loved “having run.” There is something to a great feeling of accomplishment, after all. Getting a to do list completed should make us proud. Intrinsic fulfillment is something different.

When you’re putting your child to bed at night – does it make you happy to lie with them and slowly turn page after page in their favorite book, listening to their little comments and giggles, enjoying the softness of their bed, the stillness of the house…? Or more, does it make you feel like you’ve done a good job as a parent, after the fact, that you read the story to them? Of course there’s nothing wrong with both feelings – we’re just trying to focus on WHY we make the choices we do about, in our topic today, work and work-related tasks.

It might be worth bringing awareness to – what makes you happy DURING a task or project. It could lead to an overall more satisfying work experience, especially if you can create more of those things every day.

I’d be interested to hear what you come up with!
Thanks,
Jaya

Happiness is… running in the early summer morning, the warmth from the previous night and coming day embracing and soothing, the breezes refreshing… life fully in me and ahead.