Do You Love What You Do?

What truly matters in life? When we strip everything down, what is really important?

Studies show that once you reach a middle-class level of income, more money does not necessarily make you happier.

• Some wealthy people are happy. Some are not.

• Some people with modest means are happy. Some are not.

• Beyond a certain point, money does not have a strong correlation with happiness.

So what really matters?

Once your basic needs are met, two factors determine a great life:

1. Health – Staying physically and mentally well is foundational.

2. Relationships – Having strong, meaningful connections with people you love.

Now, let’s assume you are healthy, have a decent income, and have good relationships. What else matters?

There are two critical dimensions that define fulfillment:

1. Meaning – The results of your work feel important to you.

2. Happiness – You enjoy the process of what you do.

The Four Quadrants of Life

Think of life as a grid with four boxes, based on high/low meaning and high/low happiness:

1. Surviving (Low Meaning, Low Happiness)

• These are activities you neither enjoy nor find meaningful.

• Typically, these are chores—necessary but uninspiring tasks.

A top female CEO once shared a powerful insight:"Don’t do chores. If you love cooking, cook. If you don’t, hire someone else to do it."

A woman in the audience challenged her: “That’s easy for you to say. You’re rich.”

The CEO responded: “I know the income of every woman in this room. You can afford to outsource certain tasks. Don’t undervalue your own time.”

Lesson: If you can eliminate or delegate low-value tasks, do it.

2. Stimulating (High Happiness, Low Meaning)

• These are activities that are fun but lack deeper value.

• Think: video games, binge-watching TV, or scrolling social media.

A little of this is fine. But too much leads to disaster.

I predicted 20 years ago that media addiction would surpass drug and alcohol addiction as a major social issue. We’re there now.

• One young man who drove me to Dartmouth flunked out of school after spending 25,000 hours playing World of Warcraft.

• That’s enough time to earn two PhDs. Instead, he had nothing to show for it.

Lesson: Be mindful of short-term stimulation that doesn’t contribute to long-term fulfillment.

3. Sacrificing (High Meaning, Low Happiness)

• These are activities that are important but not enjoyable.

• Sometimes, making sacrifices is necessary.

• But if your whole life is in this box, you become a martyr—burnt out and resentful.

Many people achieve great things yet are deeply unhappy because their life lacks joy.

Lesson: Sacrifice is okay in small doses. But don’t stay here forever.

4. Succeeding (High Meaning, High Happiness)

• This is the golden zone—when you do something you love and find meaningful.

• If you can spend most of your life in this quadrant, you’ve won the game of life.

Successful people don’t always love what they do, and that’s unfortunate. Take Dr. Warren Bennis, founding chairman of the Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California and a visiting professor at Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School.

Now, Warren is one of my personal heroes. In addition to being one of the greatest teachers and writers in our field, he’s also a good guy. At various stages in my career, he has taken the time to give me words of recognition, support and encouragement. His consideration has meant a lot to me. Besides being successful and brilliant, he’s thoughtful. These words don’t always go together.

However, at one point in his life, Warren was a practitioner of leadership, rather than a teacher of leadership, when he served as president of the University of Cincinnati. Once, when he was speaking to a university audience in his presidential role, one of his friends in the room unexpectedly asked: “Do you love what you do?”

A long, awkward silence filled the room as he pondered the question. As a president, he searched for the right answer, but as a human, he wanted the real answer. Finally, in a quiet voice, he replied, “I don’t know.”

That revelation plunged Warren into deep reflection. It dramatically altered his path through life. He had always thought he wanted to be the president of a university. It had not dawned on him that after he got there he might not actually enjoy it.

Lesson: If you’re not happy doing what you do, reassess your path.

The Retirement Trap

I work with many retiring CEOs, and I tell them:

"You can’t just play bad golf at the country club, eat chicken salad sandwiches, and talk about gallbladder surgery all day. You need something meaningful."

Without purpose, many high achievers spiral into boredom and frustration.

Do you love what you do? And does it matter to you?

If the answer is yes, you’re already succeeding. If not, it’s time to make a change.