An Interview With Myself.
What drives you in your work?
A lot of what drives me is not creating something new, but fixing something that seems to have gone off course. I think that it stems from my father telling me (and my brothers) that our responsibility was to make the world a better place, which is an inherently Jewish concept: Tikun Olam…repair the world. So the impetus for what I do is seeing a problem or a deficit and trying to figure out how to correct it.
What is “good work”?
Work that requires hard work, problem solving, communication but work that is also achievable. I am a helper, so good or worthwhile work would have to be work that nurtures and helps people. Good or worthwhile work forges a path that helps others’ journeys.
Purpose, fulfillment, and growth are all critical…it’s what makes work not be empty. Money is a value statement…it is an indication of worth and importance. It is what shows an organization’s or a society’s priorities. But the measure of the work is seen in the outcome. Did I help to pave a path? Did I fix a mistake or improve upon work that came before me? Is the world a better place because of something that I did or facilitated?
What is your lifeview? How does it connect to your work?
I think that my lifeview is clearly linked to my workview! Meaning and purpose of life is to make the world a better place, for myself, for the people that I love, and for others. The relationships between myself and others is symbiotic; my worth is clearly linked to the happiness of those around me. In all of this, the thing that makes life good is joy. Pure joy. Easy joy. Laughter. Ease. Without joy, none of this is worth anything. I guess the big question is where does Joy come from? It comes from being seen & understood. It comes from common understanding, so people are a big piece of this. My communities make my joy…big and small communities. It is really about the people who share my vision for the work.
amyilene 
One of my favorite aspects of marrying into a Jewish family—and raising our son in the synagogue—is Tikun Olam. You express this philosophy, this way of being in the world, so beautifully. Who wouldn’t want to embrace your worldview? “Is the world a better place because of something that I did or facilitated?” If each one of us lived by that, oh what a world this would be. Thanks for this.
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Thanks for sharing. I like the self-interview as a form of slice. I recently read a book that encouraged us to ask (instead of what do you do for a living), “What do you LOVE about what you do?” It feels like it would fit in this slice.
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This self-interview is really interesting and encouraging. I like pushing myself to think more seriously about myself and my work, my purpose. Thanks for this reminder that I’ve been away from my journal a bit long …
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