Recently I stumbled upon a blog post by Michael Hyatt which talked about the three components of job satisfaction and thought it was worth a share and a brief summary.
In his blog post, Michael told the story of a women that approached him after he had made a presentation about living life with intention. She had been deeply impacted by his presentation and realized that she had not lived with the intention that Michael was talking about.
She explained that she was a doctor with a successful and thriving practice but she become a doctor based on expectation from her father and honestly hated what she was doing. Upon reflection Michael describes a few different scenarios that can lead to an unsatisfying career, and it boils down to three components:
- PASSION – There are certainly things in life that we simply must do in order to function in society. Some of those things we care very little about, but there are others that we love. What do you care most about in your life? What makes you come to life? This is what you must define.
- PROFICIENCY – Aside from what you’re passionate about, what are you actually good at? This will determine a major part of your success in striving for your passion. Without the talent, you’re not going to thrive.
- PROFIABILITY – In order to really make a career of something that you’re passionate about and good at, it must be able to turn a profit. Without profitability you will not be able to successful devote yourself to the passions in your heart. Profitability determines sustainable.
It is the combination of these three components that brings about a satisfying and successful career.
- If you have the passion and talent without the ability to make a profit, then you simply have a hobby.
- If you have the passion and profitability without the proficiency then you will ultimately fail. You need to either work REALLY hard to get better, or transition into something that you’re actually good at.
- If you have the talent and ability to make money, you’ll be able to succeed in the eyes of others but you will lack in satisfaction because there is not passion to what you’re doing. This is where the previously mentioned doctor found herself.
For a season you can potentially get by with running on 2 out of the 3 components but in the long run you will come up short in one way or another. If you want to truly lead a fulfilling life and career, you must lean into all three. Then you will find the satisfaction that you dream of.