When I was interviewing for my current job, I was asked why I wanted it.  True, everyone loves getting a paycheck (and some even love being employed.)  But my answer came back to the intersection of things I enjoyed.  I actually traced the following diagram on my desk for the interview committee:

These are three things I truly enjoy:  helping people tell their story in times of stress and strain; geeky tech tools; and teaching others.  The real actualization comes when those spheres start overlapping.  My experience with using New Media tools to communicate during disasters comes in an intersection.  Likewise my media training, and even the time I spend on Twitter and elsewhere helping others “get” Social Media.

I’m lucky to have a job that allows me to play in the mixed colors, and even work in that bright white zone in the middle.

Have you ever mapped out your motivations in this way?  There might just be some fulfilling intersections that you’re missing because you haven’t tried overlapping…

[tags]Ike Pigott, Occam’s RazR, motivation, Venn, career[/tags]