A Meaningful Mission Doesn’t Guarantee Fun

I’ve grown up with the notion that what I work on is key for enjoyment. I’ve landed on that notion being mostly wrong.

Here is a life-long list of my jobs:

⚽️ Soccer Referee (not my cup of tea - no fun)

💾 E-Bay Store Owner (Found old frisbees in lakes, sold stuff in Everquest, etc. - kinda fun)

🍕 Busser at Mellow Mushroom (The first time I saw how much fun a work group can be - fun)

🍽️ A bit of everything at Snelling Dining Hall (❤️ UGA Dining Services ... Loved the variety and getting better at making all kinds of things - fun)

🏟️ Sports Journalist at Athens Banner-Herald and then Idaho Post Register (Fun, but not for the reasons I expected)

📋 Product Analyst at AIG Agency Auto (Not Fun, but not for the reasons you’d think)

🌈 Co-Founder at @king of pops (over 15 years has been mostly fun, but plenty of not fun periods)

On the surface, Zac Harrison and I align a lot. We have both worked very hard to build businesses that we care about. We hope that the business is doing good in the community.

I’d say Zac has done that without a doubt at Fresh Harvest. However, when we spoke, as we often have, I immediately connect and commiserate with the ups and downs he is going through. The substance of the work cannot make it fun on its own. 

Zac’s Podcast, and the others, are worth a listen to identify your own trends.

For Zac it seemed like the pre-meditated coordinated events that brought people together stood out as the most fun.

What are you doing when you have the most fun at work?