What Sparks Professional Joy?
57% of Gen Z want to be professional influencers. Another 20% of young boys say they want to become professional athletes. Yet only a tiny fraction—less than 3%—make a full-time living as influencers, and far fewer succeed in elite sports.
It’s clear there’s a gap between what young people hope to do and what’s actually sustainable. But why is that? Is it a lack of career education? The bold optimism of youth? Or maybe a deeper misunderstanding of what joy at work really looks like?
We often assume joy comes from doing things we love—playing video games, traveling, creating content. And while passion matters, most people eventually realize: stability is part of joy too. Paying your bills. Feeling safe. Having a rhythm to your day.
For most of us, that stability comes from reliable, often unglamorous work. And that’s not failure—that’s maturity.
The good news? You don’t have to give up joy. In fact, you might just find more of it once you stop chasing fantasy jobs and start designing a career that fits your real values, strengths, and lifestyle.
So… what will spark joy in your work?
In her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, organizing expert Marie Kondo suggests we hold each item in our home and ask, “Does this spark joy?” If it does, we keep it. If not, we thank it for its service and let it go.
That method works great for sweaters and salad bowls. But for jobs? Those are more complicated.
You can’t sort through your work tasks like you sort through your closet and dispose of everything that doesn’t. If we could, we’d all gladly give away our touchbases, follow-ups and pivot tables. Just because you can’t throw out the parts of your work that don’t spark joy, doesn’t mean there isn’t value in getting real about this topic. So it’s time to ask yourself: what sparks joy for me, professionally?
Let’s break it down—with a little help from the Stoics, the Sacral Chakra, and your inner career coach who loves a metaphor.
A little bit of WOO: Your Sacral Chakra Called. It Wants to Dance.
Located somewhere between your belly button and your “gut feelings,” the Sacral Chakra is all about creativity, flow, pleasure, and emotional expression. When this chakra is balanced, you feel excited, magnetic, and like your work is an extension of your imagination (instead of a slow leak of your soul).
In plain terms?
When your Sacral is on, you’re:
Creating without fear of failure
Finding joy in small wins
Feeling like your work has energy, not just endless emails
You don’t have to be a professional flamenco dancer or design artisanal soaps to activate this. You just need a little flow—that state where time disappears and you’re fully immersed.
(Flow may look like writing a killer presentation. It may also look like reorganizing your boss’s spreadsheet because it was driving you bonkers. We do not judge your version of joy.)
A little bit of History: What Would the Stoics Say?
Stoicism, a philosophy founded in ancient Greece by Zeno of Citium, wasn’t about suppressing emotion—it was about mastering it. The Stoics taught that we shouldn’t be ruled by fleeting desires or external rewards, but instead live according to virtue—doing our duty with integrity, regardless of the outcome. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and one of Stoicism’s most famous practitioners, wrote, “Do what you must. Even if you don’t feel like it.”
In other words, joy isn’t always bubbly. Sometimes it’s quiet and earned—not the dopamine rush of chasing dreams, but the deeper satisfaction of showing up, growing wiser, and creating meaning through effort.
Seneca and Marcus Aurelius didn’t wake up saying, “Today I will find joy through creative self-expression.”
They said, “Today I will do what needs to be done. With grace. And possibly a scowl.”
But here’s the twist:
The Stoics weren’t anti-joy.
They were just pro-meaningful joy. As in, joy that comes from aligning your actions with your values. Not the dopamine hit of 87 LinkedIn likes.
So yes—scrubbing data in Excel can spark joy, if it aligns with your deeper purpose (like solving problems or helping others). Stoicism teaches us that desire isn't bad—it just needs to be managed so that it serves your values, not your distractions.
What Sparks Joy in Your Work?
This is where you come in. Let’s get real:
Most people don’t get struck by lightning bolts of purpose.
They get quiet, do a little journaling, and realize:
“I like helping people feel confident.”
“I love organizing chaos.”
“I need some flexibility or I turn into a caffeinated gremlin.”
Here are a few non-woo but slightly woo reflection questions to help:
When was the last time I lost track of time doing something for work?
What kinds of tasks make me feel energized instead of drained?
Where do I feel like my creativity gets to shine—even a little?
What kind of work feels like a contribution, not just a task?
