Bernie Borges [00:00:00]:
The only constant in life is change. I’m sure you’ve heard that before. Hey, I’m Bernie Borges, host of the Life Fulfilled Podcast, and if you were with me, In June of 2025 I changed the name of this podcast from the Midlife Fulfilled Podcast to the Life Fulfilled Podcast. One of the main reasons for the name change was the realization that about 35% of my listeners, according to the analytics, are under the age of 45 and a significant portion of them were under the age of 35, and that was sort of a wake up call for me. So I changed the name of the POD to the Life Fulfilled Podcast and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Sort of like a validating the fact that we all crave fulfillment in life regardless of our age. That said, this fulfillment thing is definitely an adult age topic. Now, anecdotally I haven’t found too many 22 year olds that are thinking about fulfillment, but hey, again, that’s anecdotal.
Bernie Borges [00:01:05]:
I don’t have any actual data to support that, so I may or may not be right about that. Now, another change that I announced with the name change was my intention to devote more podcast episodes to business and career related topics. The rationale is that we spend 2/3 of our week time at work. So whether you go to work at a business or a nonprofit that’s owned or run by someone else, or you are the owner of a business or nonprofit, it doesn’t matter. We all spend about 2/3 of the time that we’re awake at work. And fulfillment at work is kind of my jam. After all, I I am the founder of the Fulfilled at Work Academy, and in several recent episodes of the podcast I have featured individuals in HR leadership roles, and we cover topics ranging from DEI to belonging, culture, recognition, employee engagement, et cetera. And I’m planning more conversations with people leaders at businesses to keep drilling down on related topics around people at and work.
Bernie Borges [00:02:14]:
And unless this is your first time tuning into the pod, welcome by the way, if that’s you. The previous three episodes, meaning the three episodes just before this one, were devoted to the topic of quiet quitting in the workplace. I started by defining quiet quitting, which is the emotional withdrawal from work. And then I also offered suggestions on how to cope with quiet quitting, both as the individual who’s quiet quitting as well as the leader that has a team of people where some or all of them might be quiet quitting. Now, on a side note, I heard from many of you, sharing mostly privately, how real and frustrating quiet Quitting is for them. So on this episode, episode 259, I have decided to look at fulfillment at work through seven different lenses. Why seven? Well, each lens is a particular career path or industry segment. So let’s get to it.
Bernie Borges [00:03:15]:
The first one is the career journey in physical labor careers. When it comes to fulfillment in physical labor careers, I think it’s really unique and also very special. Now, I’m referring to careers where you use your hands or your strength to, or your courage, or a combination of all that to make a difference. This could include career plumbing, electrical wiring, painting, construction, law enforcement, military service. In all cases, this is physical work, and it takes skill and endurance. It also takes specialized training in each and every case. For example, I certainly couldn’t rewire a building. I haven’t been trained to do that.
Bernie Borges [00:04:00]:
But it also takes discipline, no matter which career path. And importantly, it takes a sense of mission or purpose. For example, I’ve known law enforcement people and also firefighters where they all share a passion for their purpose. In most cases, individuals who pursue a career in physical labor usually make an entire career out of it. Usually usually 20, 30 or even more years. Now, a physical career can also take a toll on both the body and the mind. There can be long hours, physical strain, and sometimes even emotional stress. Fulfillment in these physical careers often comes from pride.
Bernie Borges [00:04:46]:
The pride in doing what few others can do, the pride in seeing results, and the pride in belonging to a team that relies on each other. Now, physical careers also require balance. I’m referring to taking care of the body, the mind, and your relationships outside of the uniform or the job site. So if you’re in a physical career, thank you for what you do to serve others. Take a moment and ask yourself, beyond the work itself, what truly gives you that sense of purpose, that fulfillment? Okay, next I’m going to look at healthcare. If you work in healthcare, fulfillment is often tied to impact. Knowing that what you do matters to someone’s life, whether it’s a direct impact, like at a facility with patients, or indirectly through research or nonprofit work. Now, I don’t know from firsthand experience because I have not worked in healthcare, but as I understand it, the pace in healthcare is relentless.
Bernie Borges [00:05:54]:
Healthcare professionals are constantly learning, adapting, keeping up with new findings, new technologies, new regulations. A career in healthcare can be both inspiring and exhausting. So I believe that fulfillment in healthcare isn’t just about impacting lives. It’s also staying connected to your why, why you entered this field in the first place. Now, I know that some people struggle in health care. During COVID it was widely reported that nurses were severely overworked, and as a result, many nurses quit the profession. Maybe healthcare professionals need to find moments, moments measured literally in moments or or maybe days or even weeks of vacation to pause between the chaos to remember. The reason that you do what you do in nearly all cases, if not all the reason is about having an impact on people’s health.
Bernie Borges [00:06:59]:
That’s why you work in healthcare. If that’s you. So if you work in healthcare, ask yourself this when was the last time you gave yourself the same care and compassion that you give to others? I’m probably not the first person to ask you this question, but I hope that you prioritize caring for yourself. Next I want to look at technology. I spent a significant part of my career about 20 or more years. Those of us who work or worked in technology live in a state of speed and constant change. Every new tool, platform or algorithm competes to make things faster, smarter, better, more profitable. I remember being in a constant mode of working on the next release.
Bernie Borges [00:07:49]:
Engineers commonly burn the midnight oil to meet a release deadline, only to come back after some pto. Usually not a lot to work on the next release and its associated deadline. You know, I lived and worked in Silicon Valley, California, and it was a badge of honor to work 60 or 70 hours a week. Today there’s a meme in tech that’s known as 9, 9, 6. This refers to working 9am to 9pm Six days a week, which adds up to 72 hours. For many people in tech roles, this is considered normal. Now, a stressful part of working in tech is the constant pressure to keep up with the never ending advancement of technology. Whether it’s hardware technology or software technology, Internet technology, and of course AI advancement is happening pretty much on a daily basis.
Bernie Borges [00:08:46]:
I mean, it’s just head spinning. So fulfillment in tech, it’s going to be unique to each individual. There’s no question about it. But the truth is that many people are in tech for the money. They A career in tech can be lucrative. That said, I’ve noticed some people, in fact many people making a career move, migrating to a company where their role in tech has more meaning or purpose, where it’s working in a tech or nonprofit for a cause they care about, or maybe in an industry that they care about for personal reasons. Tech isn’t the only industry though, where the hours are long, but it’s one where finding a purpose is important. If you’re going to experience fulfillment beyond a paycheck or a big payday so if you’re in tech, my question for you is, does your roller coaster ever stop for rest and fun or is it just in constant motion? Okay, next.
Bernie Borges [00:09:47]:
I’m at number four, in case you’re counting. Let’s look at public service. Public servants can include teachers, social workers, city employees, first responders, some of which may be in the physical labor category that I discussed earlier. The first one these individuals often face the impossible. They have big plates with more to constantly do and less to spend, meaning less budget and usually fewer hands, fewer people to help get the jobs done. Yet fulfillment in public service often runs deeper than any paycheck because this is a profession where paychecks generally aren’t big, especially when you compare them to a career in tech, among other industries. Rather, fulfillment in public service is found in purpose, in community, in seeing the results, your contribution over time for particular particular set of people, whether it’s local, regional or national. Still, burnout in public service is real.
Bernie Borges [00:10:55]:
People often feel like there’s always more to do, the need is never ending, and they allow themselves to feel like the job is not done yet. Now, that mindset, that job will never be done is because there’s always going to be kids to teach kids, there’s always gonna be waste to pick up, there’s always going to be laws to enforce. Civil servants are asked to give more with less. Fulfillment can feel almost unattainable. I’ve got to imagine that that must feel very frustrating. So if you’re a civil servant, first, thank you for your service and I encourage you to reconnect with your why? Remind yourself that the work that you chose builds trust in ways that few others ever see. Take a quiet moment today and ask, who have I helped lately and how did that make me feel? Let that fulfillment experience warm your heart because you deserve it. Next, let’s look at professional services.
Bernie Borges [00:11:56]:
This is where I spent much of my career providing professional services in the technology industry. Now this could include marketing services. That was my world. I had a digital marketing agency for 15 years. Also services like law firms tire consulting industry, which spans consulting for just about every industry. There’s financial services like investing, insurance, accounting, even ride sharing and pet sitting fall under the services category. Now, in professional services, performance is everything. Whether it’s billable hours or meeting the client’s performance requirements, you’re in a constant mode of proving your value.
Bernie Borges [00:12:41]:
Of course, AI is rewriting the rules in the service industry, forcing everyone to work smarter, faster and leaner. For example, Accenture, which is a well known High end consulting firm that serves big businesses at very high consulting rates. They’ve reduced the average size of a typical consulting team because they can do more with AI and they need less people. Let that sink in. So when it comes to fulfillment in the services industry, we have to get beyond the deliverables. While many people are navigating the impact of AI in the services world, finding fulfillment in the craft, the pride of doing the work with integrity, with empathy and with excellence, that’s a good place to start. It can also be found in mentoring others and helping clients solve problems. So if you’re in a service based career, keep your eye on the potential disruption of your work because it’s very real.
Bernie Borges [00:13:45]:
At the same time, find fulfillment in the skills that you’ve developed and consider where you can channel those skills should you be disrupted by AI and find yourself out of a job. All right, number six, let’s look at retail, travel and hospitality all lumped together into one sector. Now, my exposure to this industry is mostly as a customer, meaning a user of these services. I am keenly aware that those who work in retail, travel or hospitality have to show up every day, in person, physically and with a smile. And that’s not always easy, especially if a customer is complaining or if a boss is barking orders at you. Your work happens face to face and it’s usually or oftentimes under pressure. One bad interaction can ruin your day, but one good one can make your day, maybe even make your week. Fulfillment here comes from service, from small amounts of kindness, from seeing your effort make someone’s experience better, especially when they say thank you.
Bernie Borges [00:14:57]:
Now, fulfillment in the retail and travel and hospitality sector is also about teamwork, about process improvement, and about pride in a job well done, even when others don’t notice. So here’s your reflection exercise. If you work in retail, travel or hospitality, when was the last time you recognized yourself or a teammate for the difference that made someone’s day? Number seven, the last one. I want to look at manufacturing Now. My exposure to manufacturing was through the lens of manufacturing software. When I worked for a software company in this industry, I learned a lot about the manufacturing industry. Though I don’t suggest that it made me an expert in manufacturing, I just learned a lot about it. And let’s face it, manufacturing is the engine of progress.
Bernie Borges [00:15:45]:
You know that smartphone that’s in your pocket, the microwave that you use every day, the vacuum cleaner, the washing machine, the car you drive, the airplane you ride? These are just a few examples of products manufactured with both process and precision. And there’s many, many roles in manufacturing, from management to the factory floor, to marketing, sales, customer service, operations, and more. Today’s manufacturing plants are more high tech than ever before with automation, robotics, sophisticated software, and yes, AI. But people still drive the quality, the safety and innovation in manufacturing. Now, fulfillment in manufacturing comes from mastery of your specialization. That said, as is the case in other career paths that I covered in this episode, staying relevant and informed on technology and process trends are very important in manufacturing because when a manufacturing business needs to cut costs, they’re always going to prioritize keeping the people who are essential. So fulfillment in manufacturing can come from staying essential by keeping your skills current and relevant, or pivoting your skills into something else. Whether it’s in or outside of manufacturing.
Bernie Borges [00:17:13]:
Remember that in the foreseeable future, the human skill is still needed. And it’s up to you to discern where in the manufacturing process that human skill is needed because AI cannot replace it. So those are the seven career paths that I promised to cover in this episode. And as I wrap up this episode, I I want to leave you with the following thought. Throughout all of history, innovations in both processes, meaning the way we do things and in technology, have evolved. And throughout all of history, even when jobs and even entire industries like the horse and buggy industry were eliminated, new industries were born, creating millions of new jobs from for example, at the time that I recorded this podcast episode, there was recent news making headlines where Amazon announced plans to lay off 30,000 workers from their corporate workforce. Now Amazon employees roughly 1.5 million people, including non corporate employees. Their corporate employee count was 350,000 people prior to the 30,000 person layoff.
Bernie Borges [00:18:27]:
Now, I am not making light of the 30,000 people who have lost their job or will lose their job because something like this can happen over the span of maybe a year or more. But consider that Amazon still has 320,000 people in corporate jobs. That’s a lot of jobs. And consider that prior to 1994, Amazon didn’t exist. So do a little math depending on when you’re listening to this podcast. About 31 years ago, Amazon was created from nothing. I mean innovation of course, and entrepreneurship. But 31 years ago, Amazon didn’t exist and today it’s one of the largest employers in the world.
Bernie Borges [00:19:15]:
As I said, with 1.5 million people in total and 320,000 now people in corporate roles. How did this happen? Well, by the advancement of Internet technology and also related technologies. Look, there are many other examples of companies that employ tens of thousands of people that didn’t exist 20, 30, 40 years ago. Do you remember Blockbuster when you used to rent VHS videotapes for your. Your movies? If you’re old enough to remember, well, they don’t exist anymore. They were replaced by Netflix, who, by the way, employs 14,000 people. I could go on and on with more examples, but I won’t, because I’m sure you get the point. So in the context of fulfillment at work, maybe what we can all think about is this.
Bernie Borges [00:20:03]:
How can our fulfillment evolve in our careers? Because change is inevitable. And if you remember, this is where I began this podcast episode, Change is inevitable. So how are you navigating change in your fulfilled at Work journey? Now, let me remind you that the Fulfilled at Work Academy is a resource for leaders to help navigate constant change in the workforce. So if you’re a leader navigating these waters, schedule a complimentary strategy call with me. No pressure, just conversation and value. Hey, I’m Bernie Borges, your host of the Life Fulfilled podcast. Remember, fulfillment isn’t just a feeling, it’s a performance strategy. I’ll see you on the next episode of the Life Fulfilled Podcast.
