The Seeking System – How did I find love in my job?

Every sailing ship that leaves the harbor wants to set sail for its destination. But where does this quest for the ultimate destination that promises a found vocation come from? Where does the inherent desire for lifelong development in our jobs come from? In science, the system that is responsible for the search for love in the job is called the “Seeking System”.

We are constantly on the lookout for love on the job.

The Seeking System, first presented by neurobiologist Dr. Jaak Panksepp, is a part of the brain called the ventral striatum. The Seeking System is responsible for our innate motivation to explore, understand and learn. Dopamine, as a rewarding neurotransmitter for learning experiences, drives us to constantly strive for this feeling of newness and further development.

For me, the career path to the hotel industry seemed predetermined. I had a clear career goal, which was reinforced by my studies in tourism management. My Seeking System was looking for experience in the hospitality industry. But there was also a big change for me. The Covid-19 pandemic threw my plans out of kilter, internships became impossible because the hotel industry experienced a drastic slump.

In search of further development, I applied for a part-time job at “COX Coaching & Consulting” during my studies. Originally, it was supposed to be a temporary solution until I started working in the hotel industry. But sometimes life’s detours lead us exactly to the destination that is right for us. Unexpectedly, I found love in my job as a trainer in leadership development.

But what has to happen for us to fall in love with a job? We find love at work above all when personal development is the order of the day. Because in order to continuously activate the Seeking System, we need opportunities to experiment, build on our strengths and gain a variety of experiences. This is exactly what COX made possible for me. Why is this important? We spend around a third of our lives…at work.

What would happen if we were constantly doing the same thing without being challenged to learn new things? Well, over the span of a lifetime, that could potentially mean little fulfillment.

How does our Seeking System navigate towards love at work?

The first step on the path to professional fulfillment is to make a clear decision: Which direction do you want to take? Sailing without a destination can land us somewhere on the open sea. It quickly became clear to me that training and coaching was the best way to pursue my love of lifelong learning. For this reason, I made the clear decision to continue developing in this direction.

As soon as you know your direction, you can identify your specific destination in the second step: What exactly do you want to achieve? What drives you in life? Which strengths and potential can you best utilize for which goal? So where exactly do you have to sail to? It became increasingly clear to me that I can and would like to use my strengths most effectively in systemic work with people and organizations – as a trainer and, in the long term, as a business coach.

The third step requires a strategic path to the ideal position. You prepare your sailing boat for the sea and develop a long-term strategy for the route to your destination. The qualifications I needed were a part-time master’s degree in organizational and personnel development, a diploma in coaching and a coaching course as part of my degree. I know from my own experience that the sea of development can sometimes be rough, with internal resistance or external challenges. But the more purposefully you steer your boat, the more resilient you will be in stormy times.

Coaching as a companion in rough seas.

Arriving in love on the job requires the conscious use of your personal Seeking System. The good news is: this path does not have to be taken alone – external support, in the form of career coaching or good conversations, can help us to find love at work. We all strive to spend our working hours in a fulfilling way. The journey there is a process that requires a landmark decision, the identification of the ideal position and a strategic implementation plan.