There are only two reasons to come to work. Fun and money. And you have to have both. One of them will not be enough. Not if you want to love what you do, that is. You may have a job where you get just one or the other often seduces you into thinking you have found your dream job, but in most cases that dream fades like a mirage as you realise a key ingredient of 'job love' is missing. For many of us, where our job is so hard and the disappointments so many, we simply have to have them both for it all to be worth it. Fun and money. But let’s dig into what I mean by 'fun' and 'money'. At work, 'fun' is much more than just having a giggle. Fun means working in a business where you believe in the vision and the ethos. That’s where 'fun' begins. 
To do a challenging job well, every day, you have to be doing something that has meaning to you. Fun on the job means working with people you like and respect.

Fun at work includes collaboration, mutual support and a strong bond of shared goals. Fun means winning more than losing, continuous learning, constantly growing as a business person, and doing something you know impacts people in a positive way. That’s fun. And it includes traditional fun too. A workplace where we can have a laugh, where we can socialise easily, enjoy each other's company and celebrate group and individual success. A job that enhances your self esteem and sense of worth. That is fun. 

Is that how it is for you where you work? 

If you are going to thrive in any role, you need to have fun the way I define it here. But what about 'money'? I don’t simply mean the amount you get paid, as important as that may be. I mean working in a business that is financially successful, for a start. If we have a great product or service and deliver it well, we will thrive. And that is where you want to work. Profit is not a dirty word. Profit is like oxygen.

 We don't wake up every day with profit as our only goal, but, like oxygen, we sure notice when it's not there! Making money means we can invest in people, learning, marketing and technology. And that is fun! And 'money' means getting a fair reward for the effort applied and the result achieved. So a heavy element of reward for result is a good thing. And that means if you are good at your job, you get well rewarded. And financial success is important in only one way: more choices in life. And that leads us back to fun! So there it is. You can read many books on employee engagement and motivation at work. Put them all aside. You don't need them to evaluate whether you are in the right job. Want to love what you do? 

Work with the twin sisters of the holy grail, fun and money .This post originally appeared on The Savage Truth.