Focus on What Matters the Most to You

How do we now define success? It’s more likely to be about leaving a lighter footprint than about piling up more toys, more about living a rich and full life than about beating up the other guy. Peace, love, and understanding aren’t so funny anymore–they’re legitimate aspirations people want to pursue through meaningful work. Greed and competition were ’80’s cool. Green and collaboration are ’08’s cool.

The good news is that some employers have learned that people perform better in their jobs when they are doing what they believe matters to the world in some way and they have a hand in figuring out how to get it done. The more of your life you can bring into your work–and the more you feel you can contribute to people and projects you really care about–the happier and more productive at work you’re likely to be.

These are hard times. So it’s more important than ever to focus on what matters most.Doing so increases the chances that you’ll come through with both your soul and your wallet holding something of value. You’ll be spending your precious time more intelligently–better aligned with your personal values, using more of your natural talents to pursue goals to which you’re genuinely committed.