Work That Matters

Making the right salary is important. Sometimes, salaries reflect our basic needs, and other times,  they reflect our wants- in addition to our needs. For some, those wants take the form of a five-digit paycheck and 24/7 access to the company yacht. These are the types of salaries that are so sought after in our society. However, for others, those wants can take an entirely different form. Sometimes, salaries are less about the money and more about being involved in meaningful work that has a positive impact in the world. 

Non-profit organizations are not known for their enticing salaries, monetary bonuses, or filet mignon catered lunches. But then again, I'm fairly certain that most people who work for non-profits are not in it for the money. I'm no exception.  I graduated from college with degrees in business management and economic development- two fields of study that could have pulled me in completely opposite directions. If you had asked me what I wanted to do with my life eight years ago, I would have told you that I wanted to be a high powered manager working my way up the corporate ladder of a Fortune 500. I wanted keys to the company yacht. Ask me that same question today, and you'll get a different response. 

My outlook on work has shifted significantly over the years, as I've begun to more fully understand the impact that 40 or 50 hours a week for the rest of my life can have on the world. I'm certainly not opposed to a high salary, and I would never turn down an end-of-the-year bonus, but one of the things I have come to realize is that money isn't everything in a job. It's a means to an end. And for me, the end is not being a millionaire or having a corner office with a gold-dipped nameplate on my door. What matters more to me is that I am using my time and talent in a meaningful way. Call me a guilty idealist, but I feel a responsibility to contribute back to society through my work. I was born in the United States, one of the wealthiest countries in the world. I fall into the category of 5% of the wealthiest individuals on earth. And you probably do too. So, comparatively speaking, we are unbelievably wealthy. 

As we know from Voltaire and Peter Parker's grandfather, "With great power comes great responsibility." In this world that we live in, money is power- and with it comes great responsibility. Since we possess so much of it compared to the majority of the world, we have a duty to use it responsibly. Part of using money responsibly is maximizing what we have, including positions we are fortunate enough to have secured. Work doesn't have to be glamorous to be meaningful. You don't have to work for international organizations or do cutting edge research to be doing profoundly necessary and important work. So, no matter what position you have, are you using it responsibly? Are you making a tangible difference in the world? 

If even the simplest jobs can be necessary and important when done well, certainly no one is too far away from work that matters. Are you making what you do matter? Are you positively impacting the people around you? I reject the notion that the best job is the highest paying job. Impact and attitude matter far more. So whether you work on Wall Street, Main Street, or no street at all, you can have the right salary if you feel fulfilled in what you do. And for me, fulfillment does not come in stacks of green bills. 

Thrifting As a Lifestyle

Over the years, I have really come to enjoy thrifting. But it hasn’t always been that way. My thrifting adventures started at about age 12 or 13, when my parents decided that they weren’t going to pay for full-priced clothing for us kids. Prior to thrift stores, it was hand-me-downs from cousins and neighborhood friends. This was all part of the pastor's kid (PK) experience, and it typically served as a source of embarrassment for me. Second-hand clothes??? You've got to be kidding me. Why couldn't I shop at popular clothing stores like the normal kids? Well, it's because I wasn’t normal. I was a PK. And with these facts working against me, it's easy to understand why I played the role of a stereotypical nerd during the prime of my adolescence—which negatively contributed to my “coolness factor” in a cruel and unusual way.

Thankfully, my style took a turn for the better towards the end of my high school career, as I discovered the combination of makeup and contacts and began to understand that pleated skirts and polo shirts would not define me forever. In the years since high school, I have cultivated a passion for fashion and use my wardrobe as a creative outlet for expressing myself in a way that the pink-lensed glasses I wore until the eleventh grade never could do. The funny thing is that the thrift store mentality that was instilled in me as a child never really disappeared. In fact, it is now something that I claim with pride. Every time I open my overstuffed closet to admire my collection, I marvel at the fact that at least 75% of what I own is second-hand. I’m proud of that fact.

To me, thrifting represent a lifestyle: unique, adventurous, and socially and economically responsible. These days, shopping at a typical retail clothing store is rather boring for me. It's difficult to be unique when 3,497 people bought the same shirt you just purchased from a retail chain. Why not buy a vintage sweater that no one else you know or might ever come in contact with will own? When someone admires your outfit and asks where you bought your sweater, you can tell them you found it at a thrift store one sunny afternoon in April, and that you're sorry, but there weren't any more in stock.

Thrift stores are like a treasure hunt: You walk into a building with a giant collection of potential, never knowing what you'll find. And then you spot an amazing polyester blouse sandwiched between an XXL YMCA 2007 camp t-shirt and a red knitted sweater with shoulder pads and a giant bow embroidered on the front. This just so happens to be the very sweater you discovered when you were rummaging through your mother's closet two years ago in search of the perfect 80s outfit. But I digress… You spot that polyester gem and try it on for size. Turns out it fits you perfectly. Game over: You just won the treasure hunt. When you have to work for something–searching through racks of clothing that are less organized than your teenage brother's room (or in my case, my 18-year old sister's)—it makes the find so much more rewarding.

Another incentive for me to thrift instead of shop retail is the price differential. Most people will spend $30 on a new t-shirt or $60 for a new pair of jeans. I spend $30 on two pairs of pants, three skirts, five shirts, and a couple pairs of shoes. I’m not a math person, but here’s an equation that I’m fond of: cheaper clothes = more selection in my closet + more money in my bank account. Am I attempting to justify my love of fashion consumption? Absolutely. I’m not encouraging unbridled shopping sprees, but I rarely feel guilty about my thrifting expenditures. I like to call it economically responsible consumption.

Last, but certainly not least on my list of reasons to advocate for second-hand shopping, is the issue of ethics. Stores like Wal-Mart, Forever 21, and Old Navy can sell $5 shirts for a reason—and it’s not a pretty one. It’s no secret that many of the workers making the clothes that we wear are exploited. Low wages, long hours, unsafe working conditions. In fact, some even lose their lives as a result of unregulated safety standards. This is not something that I want to support in any way. There are tons of clothing companies that are taking significant steps to be socially and environmentally responsible, and these are the companies that I want to support. For a list of such companies, or to learn more about the stores where you shop, you can find reports such as Behind the Bar Code, which assesses over 100 fashion brands and provides a guide for ethical shopping.

We leverage a significant amount of power as consumers—power that can be use as a source for good. Wherever you are on your journey as a consumer, I would encourage you to think about how you can leverage your power. My family still shops at thrift stores. In fact, it’s one of our favorite family activities. But, I’m not embarrassed anymore. I love it, and I hope that maybe you will too one day. So, happy thrifting, friends!

Skirt, boots, and jewelry are from thrift stores and flea markets.