I came across the word “meraki” over a year ago, and fell in love with it. I am a logophile. Words which have a deep, transcendent meaning fascinate and enliven me, whether in English or another language. When I find a word I love, I dance in it, seep in it, until it becomes one with me.
“Meraki” is one such word. If you look it up in the dictionary, it will say something like this: “
“Meraki “means to do something with passion, with absolute devotion, with undivided attention.
“To Do Something With Love, Passion and a Lot of Soul.”
Meraki, a verb, or adverb, a Modern Greek word, derived from the Turkish “Merak” (Labor of love, to do something with pleasure), is applied to tasks, usually, creative or artistic tasks but can be applied to any task at all
On an elemental level, Meraki is authenticity – when the “real you” is engaged in the act or expression. No one else is showing up to the party. When you feel in the flow of what you do, or enjoy the connections you make with others in the course of what you do, your meraki shines.
To start to reveal your calling, notice when you find yourself smiling, or losing a sense of time, or reveling in an achievement. When We Do is Aligned is Who We Really Are, the sweet wine of meraki is being poured into the thing we do, and ultimately, others are blessed.
Notice when you’re happy or in flow. Stop yourself and ask “what is going on here that is giving me this sense of joy, excitement or satisfaction. Who are you with? How hard is to devote more attention to that activity?
Remember what made you absorbed, immersed, fascinated or hungry to learn, and those achievements worth celebrating – from childhood on. In a journal, write down all the subject matter and activities which ever drew your attention and/or stimulated your desire to engage with others. What were all the things you wanted to be when you grew up? What are common themes you can find?
Consider your deepest values and thematic work activities that if not materially honored, you would quit. When you work with meraki, you are honoring those values and interests that are most important and crucial. This concept comes from the work of the late Edgar Schein, renowned business professor and author of Career Anchors. The premise is that there are certain categories of value-based activities which are necessary for you to thrive within an employer setting.
They include the following: Whether…
- you delight in managing or working with others in pursuit of a goal or result.
- you enjoy sharing and applying expertise and skills you’ve mastered
- you greatly prefer to work alone and on your own terms.
- you need stability, regularity, consistency in what is asked of you
- you are entrepreneurial, risk-taking and want to run your own show
- you are most motivated by helping or assisting others or supporting a cause.
- you want to be continuously immersed in solving challenging problems; or
- Your work must enable a certain lifestyle or ultra-flexibility, allowing personal, family and career needs to be balanced and integrated.
With these categories in mind, what resonates the most? (While there is more to Career Anchors than this, this is a great start to evaluating your preferences.)
What are the qualities those closest to you appreciate about you? (Ask them!) If you ask enough people, you’ll detect some themes?
What sparks your creativity? Notice the times when your sense of originality or artistry presented itself or where you felt guided by sheer imagination to express a vision, idea or plan?
Recall a really good day at work? What were the elements that made it that way? It is important to note the circumstances that ever give you a lift in your workday. You’ll know that you want more of that.
Remember employment relationships with bosses or colleagues which worked the best for you? In each instance, why was that? What did they see, appreciate and honor about you?
When you accumulate enough data about yourself through these simple exercises, you can
- Review the recurring themes of what makes you come alive
- Notice your key preferences
- Discern the extent to which there is your “heart” in what you uncover.
- Create a measure o assess your current situation and what might be missing.
- Create new resolves to re-experience those moments when your authenticity shone.
Meraki is You, your essence, the unadulterated pure quintessence of you that is aligned, aware and alive. You have always had your meraki and it is waiting to be revealed.
This is the first step toward revealing calling. It’s always been there.