Two areas that are of particular interest to me are people’s sense of purpose and motivation. Those two topics are a book in itself so for this article, I will focus on purpose. Post covid, more and more people are looking for areas that bring meaning to their careers and lives. It can be a tricky one to navigate, but certainly not impossible. Like anything that involves elevating us as individuals, it first starts with self-awareness. We want to be inspired by the work we do. The word ‘inspire’ comes from the Latin word ‘inspirare’ which translates to ‘breath life into’. So have a think about what gives you that feeling.
A touch about how I found mine:
When I was training in Corporate Wellness Coaching, one of my personal coaching heroes @Paulaking created a beautiful model to help people identify their purpose. One of the questions around this model was what’s your meaning in life? Now there’s a question and a half! It stumped me for 2 weeks. Then one evening after a hectic day at work then having to do a coaching session with a client I got my light bulb moment. I was exhausted before the session and just wanted to crawl under the duvet but I prepped myself for the meeting and put the game face on. The session went great but afterwards, I took note of my energy levels. I was absolutely buzzing! Then it hit me, coaching and developing people is my purpose. This is one of the telltale signs that you are hitting on something if it gives you elevated intrinsic energy. That’s when I knew coaching was my calling and I have never looked back.
So let's get back to you
Why is finding your purpose important? Once you find it it's food for the soul and the most fulfilling thing you can do for yourself! It will get you out of bed with a pep in your step in the mornings and transform your life in the best way possible.
Finding your purpose is made up of 4 areas, your talents, passions, values, and gifts.
Ask yourself these questions to help you gain some clarity:
- Talents – What are your innate strengths? What comes naturally to you? What do you find challenging but rewarding?
- Passion – What energises and excites you? If you didn’t need money what work would you do for free?
- Values – What could you not live without doing? What do you get drawn to? What makes you feel good when you are doing it? What activity makes you get lost in time?
- Gifts – What value can you bring to the world? Where do you feel you can give the greatest value?
These can be challenging questions if you haven’t worked on them before. Take some time, go somewhere peaceful, and reflect like you never have before! It may take time so be patient. It also helps to ask others around you what your skills are because often we overlook them ourselves and take for granted that they are unique to us. I particularly like the question about passion as our mindset around money can hold us back from finding the answer. “I would love to paint but it doesn’t make any money,” I remember working with a client a few years ago, she was in a good job but totally frustrated and unfulfilled. I asked her when was the last time she got lost in something, she said pilates. I asked why she didn’t pursue it as a career and she said there was no money in pilates. We deep-dived into a few areas around this passion and how her current beliefs may be holding her back. She had extensive experience, knowledge, and all the skills in this area but this was overlooked. Within 6 weeks her confidence had grown substantially to the point where she had set up a course and had 38 people enrolled. What a hero she was to follow her heart!!
The key is to find an area that is congruent to who you are, matched with a cause that is bigger than you, and boom you found it!! That’s another thing to note, doing work that brings purpose and meaning into our lives will likely mean we are doing something for others using our skills and talents.
If you are in a role that may not be the best use of your skillset or passion that’s ok for now as it may suit your current needs. Aim to work each day like it makes a difference because you do make a difference! How you show up to yourself sends an important message to you, it builds confidence, resilience, and integrity!! Keep up the great work.
