Throughout The Work Moore chronicles his own journey to find a life of meaning. While he achieves financial success early on with a career on Wall Street, he recognizes something is missing in his life. He writes, “How we spend our days is how we spend our lives, and it’s the rare person who can walk away from what feels like a sure thing” (38). Although Moore had a “sure thing” in the form of financial security with his job at Deutsche Bank, he also knows that we if we spend most of our waking hours consumed by a career that lacks meaning in our lives, then true success will allude us. The key, Moore reasons, is finding one’s passion, and translating it into life’s “work.” In the book, he profiles a number of workers in a variety of fields in order to demonstrate the connection between passion and success. “One thing I began to realize in my travels,” he writes, “was that everyone I met who was truly successful—whether in business, in philanthropic work, in human rights, in government, or in raising a family—shared one common trait: they were fanatically passionate about the work they did. They breathed it. They needed it. It was their lifeblood” (120).
The first worker Moore profiles, Daniel Lubetzky, CEO of KIND, exemplifies the individual who turns passion into success. In his own words, Lubetzky explains, “What I love is creating new stuff. The money is way secondary. It’s not what drives me. It’s the challenge of building and creating something” (30). Part of that challenge and drive is Lubetzky’s belief that “every individual has the responsibility to be ‘ambassadors for our communities’” (30). Lubetzky’s family and his Jewish, Lithuanian, and Mexican heritage influenced him from an early age and are foundational communities in his development. In shaping the path of his own life, Lubetzky sees it is as his responsibility to give back and also help shape the future direction of these communities. In doing so, his goal is to take his knowledge and resources and find ways to create the means to solve the problems that mean the most to him.
Students attend High Point University from all over the world, and while forming a “just community” here on campus is one of your missions, you will still be a part of the communities that helped get you this far. As you continue to read The Work, consider how your foundational communities relate to your passions, and if there is a way to bridge these two worlds as you embark on your own journey toward a life of meaning.
Is there a person in your current community that is “fanatically passionate” about the work they do? What are your hobbies or passions, and how might they be translated into your future work? The idea of “passion” usually elicits a positive response, while the idea of “work” often carries negative connotations. When was the last time you had fun at work? Is there any way to inject some passion and fun into the work you do now or in your future at HPU?