Want to land your ultimate DREAM JOB? One that includes honoring your passions and living your purpose? It’s more doable than you think.

Stout takes a look at insights from 80,000 hours.org and breaks out the six elements you need to make your next job your dream job…and they don’t include “high income” or “low stress”.

Two overrated goals for a fulfilling career

Chasing the highest salary might make seem like the road to happiness, but research has shown that beyond a certain threshold salary, intrinsically motivating work makes people a lot happier than a bigger paycheck.
Aiming for the easiest or lowest stress job might also seem a top goal, but boring work is generally not fulfilling. The sweet spot is where job demands match your abilities and offer an achievable challenge.

Why “follow your passion” can be misleading advice

Advice to “follow your passion” suggests that passion,once found, will bring all the pieces together easily. In fact, working your passion can often be challenging. Focusing on a single passion can also make people needlessly limit their options. And for those whose passion is not career-relevant, the pressure to live up to the ideal can create a sense of inadequacy. The reality: For many highly successful people, their passion developed alongside their success, rather than coming first. Passion is important but there is no need to endlessly chase a spark.

STOUT TAKEAWAYS: The 6 Key Elements of A Dream Job

1. Work that’s engaging draws you in, holds your attention, and gives you a sense of flow.
2. Work that helps others as growing body of evidence suggests helping others is a key ingredient for life satisfaction.
3. Work you’re good at that gives a sense of achievement. Have the -potential- to get good works as well.
4. Work with supportive colleagues in a workplace culture that makes it easy to get help and feedback.
5. Lack of major negatives that make work unpleasant (long commute, long hours, unfair pay ratio, job insecurity)
6. Work that fits with the rest of your life so you don’t have to get all the ingredients of a fulfilling life from your job.

To have a dream job, don’t worry too much about money and stress, and don’t endlessly self-reflect to find your one true passion. Rather, get good at something that helps others. It’s best for you, and it’s best for the world. As Nelson Mandela says above “Don’t settle for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living”. #Stout.