Is to align it with a noble purpose. 

So say, Prasad Kaipa and Navi Radjou in their 2013 book, “From Smart to Wise : Acting and Leading with Wisdom” 

In the chapter, “Develop Flexible Fortitude”, the authors write that will power, like groundwater, is a limited resource that can be easily depleted.

Neither fear nor greed are your friends when it comes to drawing the will to keep going in your career.

Work that is motivated by a need for one-upmanship and a desire to win (“I need to do this, so I can earn my promotion / bonus”) or by fear (“I need to do this so I can remain employed!”) either leads to unethical ends or to self-destruction.

Finding meaning & contentment in your career, requires finding the right motivation. 

Aligning your work with a noble purpose helps do this and to draw the willpower to keep going.

According to the authors, a noble purpose is one that “transcends self-gratification and self-preservation.”

Architect Madhu Manjari Selvaraj, from the Public Wells Revival Movement, is a classic example of a young professional aligning work with a noble purpose.

Featured in “The Hindu” recently,  and a 2024 winner of CEPT’s “Doshi We Know” fellowship, she is addressing a critical facet of the grave problem of rural despair in India – clean drinking water.

Using her skills as an architect, she has led the revival of 15 defunct wells over the last 4 years. 

Madhu Manjari’s work helps rural families in Tamil Nadu access clean drinking water without having to walk 8 – 10 kilometres everyday. 

Talk about noble purpose!

The Hindu : The Public Well Revival Movement wants people in Tamil Nadu to reconnect with the ancient sustainable source of drinking water