I had an epiphany recently: our experiences are shaped by the professions of others. Whether we’re dining with loved ones, vacationing with our families, or attending a concert solo (that last one was for me), the people we interact with on a daily basis influence our perception of the world around us.
My 2024 social calendar was littered with concert tickets. I don’t mean to brag, but I’ll share some quick stats … *clears throat*:
- 42 concerts across seven US cities
- 1 festival (I think auntie’s festival days are over)
- Numerous live music events across DC
Secretly, I think there’s an A&R exec living inside of me. What can I say? Your girl knows good music … but I digress.
At the top of the year, I vowed to do more of the things that sparked personal joy. Live music quickly stood in the gap as I balanced my professional obligations and my need to be immersed in creativity — whether it was my own or not. Professionally, I was in the midst of a promotion cycle. (Hella stressful, okay?!) My painstaking self-awareness let me know in advance that I needed to carve out time to do something just for me. And pre-purchasing tickets encouraged a level of accountability since I absolutely refuse to waste my money.
The job to experience pipeline
What I realized one night while I was standing in a crowd: my experience was directly influenced by people literally just doing their jobs. From the performer on stage, to the background singers, the bartenders, and even security … everyone that helped to both organize and operationalize that concert had helped to put together an experience not just for myself, but for many.
Is that not incredible? The organizational psychology nerd that I am, began my studies in the field because I recognized the correlations between our time and our jobs:
- We spend time commuting to and from work
- We spend time thinking about work, sometimes when we’re not even at work
- We spend time attempting to avoid thinking about work
Whether you love what you do, or whether you’re just doing what you can to get by, our professions have the potential to take up so much mental real estate. Our roles (yes) sustain our livelihoods, (could) contribute to a sense of pride, or are (often) tools to develop the transferable skills we leverage to accomplish more direct forms of actualization.
We live in an ecosystem of roles and responsibilities.
Could you imagine the impact we stand to have on the way others experience the world, JUST by modeling moral character while we do our jobs?
Let’s reflect, shall we?
What does your job mean to you? What do you wish to get from your assignments, your role, or your organization itself? Are there any barriers to achieving those goals? What fulfillment, if any, do you receive from the work you do?