Solve for Joy

Optimizing for the right outcomes

Photo Courtesy of Darrell Lee Photography

Back when I was a consultant, we had this thing we called "solving for the answer." We would take the outcome that the client wanted and try to build a model to solve for it. It worked as an initial sanity check to see if what the client was asking for was even within the realm of possibility, or if the result they sought was so unrealistic that nothing could get us there.

I thought back to this exercise the other day. I was chatting with a friend who embarked on a new career a few years ago. We were catching up on his journey, and I asked him what brought on this abrupt change in his life. He shared about the moment he faced one of the most devastating events in his life and how that led him to the place where he was meant to be. I was very touched by his story; what stuck with me long after our conversation was the advice he left me with: "Solve for joy."

That stopped me. It’s easy to keep doing what you are doing out of habit and wait to see where it gets you. But picking an outcome - in this case, joy - changes the required inputs of your model completely.

Since the start of the pandemic lockdown, I have decided to take advantage of the time I would usually spend on my daily commute to connect with old friends, acquaintances, and others in my network I have not spoken to in a while. I’ve reached out far and wide to people I respect, people I have both strong and loose connections with, to get advice and learn from them. 

Those Who Have Joy

Those who have joy in their lives had this in common: 

• They know where they’re meant to be. Each person had an assurance of the rightness of their path, regardless of how they ended up there. Some endured difficult trials or bypassed paths that could have garnered them more recognition, money, or status. But nearly all of them felt that the journey was part of the destination.

• They work and live in a state of flow. Their demeanor, attitude, and physical bearing all pointed to being in a state of "flow." They woke up excited about each day and the opportunities ahead. They were in a growth and possibility mindset, rather than one of scarcity and inconvenience.

• They don't know the answers, but they see the path they want to be on. Many of the people I connected with still had a tremendous number of questions about the future, but their journey was taking them closer to their life goals and not farther away. Rather than feeling depleted by the lockdown, they were thriving, even in uncertainty.

Those Seeking Joy

During this process, I also met many people who lacked joy in their work and lives. They had this in common: 

• Feeling anxious and uncertain. A friend of mine lost her confidence after taking a challenging job at a hot -- but ultimately dysfunctional -- startup. She abruptly quit after a few months then quickly took another job. She stayed in that role longer than she should have even though it was a bad fit for her.