But in order to create meaning, we need to take what we wish existed in the world and make it real.
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Once I returned from my summer working at Disney World, I thought about how to apply meaning into my own work. So for my next internship, I was inspired to work for a wish-granting organization for kids with life-threatening illnesses. I saw a lot of these kids losing their hair to chemotherapy and always being offered wigs or hats. A lot of them weren’t concerned with covering up their hair; they were just looking to restore their self-confidence after hair loss. A lot of the girls would wear headbands as a way to regain their feminine identity without hiding what they’re going through in a wig or hat.
I did some research and couldn’t find anyone else working to provide headbands to kids with cancer. So during my junior year of college, I created Headbands of Hope. For every headband sold, one headband is given to a child with cancer. We’ve donated hundreds of thousands of headbands to every children’s hospital in America and also to six countries.
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We continue to create what we wish existed within our company, like a prom. For our five-year anniversary this year, we hosted our first-ever patient prom at Duke Children’s Hospital. Over a hundred patients came out dressed up (with headbands, of course) and we danced the night away.
When you create solutions to problems, you learn the meaning of your work. Meaningful work isn’t about leaving your job and searching for a job description that’s everything you want. It’s about looking for opportunities to create meaning in what you do right now. All work, whether you’re a doctor, a teacher, or a janitor at an amusement park, can be meaningful. It’s about finding what’s meaningful to you.
Jess Ekstrom is the founder and CEO of Headbands of Hope, and is a finalist in Women’s Health’s ‘Game Changers’ competition. To vote for Jess, visit womenshealthmag.com/gamechangers.