If you enjoy the outcome more than the process, you might have a problem.
It’s great to see an idea from the community included in the product, or feedback reaching the upper levels of management, or a huge community event filled with passionate fans.
But these moments are fleeting and tough to predict. If this is what gives you joy, you’re not going to get much joy. Or worse, you will see the daily inputs as something you have to get through to experience those fleeting moments of joy.
Like many lines of work, you really need to find a way to love the process here.
If you’re experiencing burnout, you probably don’t love the process. If you groan at a long list of discussions to participate in, you probably don’t love the process. If you’re finding yourself copying and pasting template welcomes or support messages, you probably don’t love the process.
You need to find meaning in each interaction. You need to find the joy in ensuring that every interaction makes both of your worlds’ better.
You decide how you will love the process. You might see dozens of daily challenges to find the right combination of words and tone which best convey empathy, compassion, and mutual understanding. You might see your job as getting to improve the lives of hundreds (or thousands) of people each day.
For sure, love and feel proud of the outcomes. But remember you probably won’t see the outcomes unless you truly find a way to love the process.