Did you think that being purpose-driven was just about making a contribution to the World? Think twice, being purpose-driven is about putting yourself at the top of your priorities!
Why professionals should be purpose driven? Because British full-time employees spend on average 5 full days a week…and 3,515 full days at work over the course of their lifetime. They also work on average 42.5 hours a week... which amount to nearly 85,365 hours over a lifetime according to the Association of Accounting Technician’s (AAT). That’s one third of our life spent at work.One Third. If our life looked like a clock, 20 minutes of our life would be spent working. Scary? Exciting? It’s up to you really. Its depends how you choose to spend those 20 minutes. Are you going to spend those 20 minutes doing something which makes sense or choose to give away those 20 minutes of your life all the while trying to make sense of the remaining 40 minutes? Tick Tock. Tick. Tock.
By being purpose-driven, which means driven by a purpose, we follow a purpose, a passion, an interest. And that purpose is giving meaning to the whole clock. Your life doesn’t stop at work and the time spent at work doesn’t have to be discounted from the meaningful moments in your lifetime. The best way to make the most of it is to put your own drivers at the centre of your life and your choices. Yes, even career-wise, whether you opt to be employed or start your own business. Following your heart allows you to take the lead of your career and be in a position of power. That's what being purpose driven is all about, being aligned with yourself. Your purpose is about serving yourself before serving others. It’s about making an impact in your life so as to be able to make an impact in the World. In the same way that we would not be able to take care of others if we are feeling down, we will not be able to fulfil our purpose if we are not feeling fulfilled ourselves.
Being purpose-driven is a matter of reconnection starting from yourself so if you are not sure about what you can contribute to the World, start by checking out those 4 different ways your purpose can impact your own life.
1) Be purpose-driven to reconnect with your True Self
What is your current motivation to choose an opportunity? There is nothing wrong in being motivated by money, fame of the company, benefits, fancy job title….but you have no power and no control over it as it is something granted to you by others. If that is what is giving you satisfaction in a job, it means that you have consciously placed your happiness into the hands of others. If those are your main criteria in choosing a job, it means that you also agree to put the fate of your career into other people hands too. If tomorrow you don’t get that salary raise or your job title change or worst, you lose your job, how are you going to feel? Are you still going to have the same interest for the job? For this Company? Industry? What will be your next move? Chasing for another job based on the same previous criteria? Go somewhere else with a raise? Unfortunately, even if you do secure another job, because other people are in control of what you seem to value, they are also in control of your career. You may feel like you are exercising your free will to find another job but in fact, it may be others who triggered that desire of change and indirectly sent you back into the job market. Ever thought about taking back control of your career by adopting a different approach?
Rather than adopting an outside-in approach where external criteria out your control are your motivations to get into a job, what about an inside-out approach where your own inner motivation is your driver to get into a job? What could be that inner motivation? Your purpose. You are a unique human being with your own passions, talents and aspirations. You may have aptitude for some particular activities or you may have specific interests. Those are areas where you can fully express yourself and your creativity. You can follow your passion in your job and get paid for it!
Be purpose-driven to:
* Be passion-led and be paid to do a job that you love.
* Be yourself and be able to express your values at home as well as in your work environment.
* Be in control of your inner motivation so external factors couldnot take it away from you.
* Be self-reliant as you don’t take a job hoping that money or a job title will add more to your senseof self-worth. It’s because you are consciousof your self-worth that you decide to follow your passion and express your talents before any other considerations.
Now that you’ve got a flavour of the potential upsides of reconnecting with your interests and following a purpose, let’s see how being purpose-driven may even be an act of self-care.
2) Be purpose-driven to reconnect with your inner strength
First, being purpose-driven is an act of self-respect and self-care. It's an act of self-respect because your time and energy are precious and limited so you should dedicate them for something which really matters for you. In work situations where we are constantly required to make choices and make the most out of our time, having a job aligned with your purpose will give you some very good guidance about what should be your priority and what are just white noise, simple distractions. And where you should make conscious efforts and where you shouldn’t waste your time and energy.
It's also an act of self-care because your purpose is, amongst other things, a sustainable source of contentment. The thought of fulfilling your purpose should make you feel contented. And as for any human being with a sense of self-worth, your well-being and your contentment should come first. By feeling content, your purpose not only has a positive impact in your health, but also in your inner strength. Your contentment strengthens your natural state of inner peace. Your inner peace allows you to readily accept and move on from any negative outcome, hence enhancing your resilience during a period of hardship. Your resilience fortifies your self-mastery. Your self-mastery builds up your inner strength. Your inner strength intensifies your outer power. Your purpose is also going to play a role in the intensity of that inner strength. Your purpose is the foundation of your motivation. Your motivation sustains your determination. Your determination builds up your focus. And like a laser beam, the more focused you become, the more powerful impact you will make.
Finally, your purpose will reconnect you with your intuition. Your Intuition is your ability to know or understand something without the need for conscious reasoning or proof. And that is a powerful inner tool. Your intuition is to differentiate from negative self-talk. When you are at peace and your mind focused, there is no much room left in your head for your voice of self-doubt. The stronger your inner strength, the louder the comforting voice of your Intuition and Inner wisdom become.
Be purpose-driven to:
* Be in control of your inner source of power.
* Gain clarity on what matters and what is secondary.
* Get the best of your intuition and your rational mind at work.
* Reconnect your Soul (values, passion, interests) with your Mind (thoughts, choices and your relationship with yourself).
So as you can see, being purpose-driven is really about you and about making an act of kindness toward yourself first. But it's also about making you feel happy by sharing that love with others too.
3) Be purpose-driven to reconnect with others
When you are in a purpose-driven job, you are led by your passion and a passion is something that you can share with others. Interestingly, “sharing a passion” also has different meanings, as there are different ways to build bridges and connect with other people.
For starters, sharing your passion means that whatever your differences with others may be, you have a common ground with the said group of people. In your professional environment, you can connect with like-minded people whatever their team, department, job titles and even grow your network beyond the wall of the company. You will not necessarily have the same vision or purpose but there will be a convergence of values and ideas. And because you will share the same values, you will see yourself being surrounded by allies and you will feel supported by a community. And as you will have allies, regarding your relationship with others, the collaborative mindset will take over the competitive mindset so much praised in the corporate world. Unless you have some personal insecurities, there is no point competing with allies, every one has so much to learn from others. However, you can still compete with yourself and create a virtuous circle where you keep learning, growing and bringing something new to a job which is fulfilling you and because that job keeps fulfilling you, you feel self-motivated to keep bringing your best.
Then, sharing your passion also meaning that you communicate your passions. That’s more a one way relationship. People don’t buy what you are selling, they buy the concept which points to why you are doing it. If you are an entrepreneur, that is a powerful competitive advantage because you give without any expectation, greed or no neediness. You are happy to tell your purpose to the World and people value authenticity. Finally, you can share your passion meaning that you instil your passion in others and become an inspiration as passion can be contagious. You can support the motivation in your team and naturally take the leadership. You can mentor people and receive the professional recognition you are looking for.
Be purpose-driven to:
* Be a leader and become a gathering force.
* Be in control as someone who gives with no expectation.
* Have healthy relationships with others and open your eyes to a world with countless of allies.
* Reconnect your Soul (your values) with your Mind (relationship with yourself) and your Body (relationship with others).
By being purpose-driven, and so by putting your own values and passion first, you can even be supported by others and it doesn’t stop there. On a world scale, the whole planet is also supporting you to follow your own purpose.
4) Be purpose-driven to reconnect with the World
When you are purpose-driven, the only thing which can restrain your vision is yourself. In today’s connected world, the opportunities to meet with like-minded people, grow your knowledge and share your passion are infinite. It goes well beyond the scope of your job and the walls of your company. When you see the World as your canvas and the sky as the limit, your potential is limitless. Being purpose-driven raises your consciousness about your place, your role and your impact in the world.
Your purpose gives you a direction and a meaning in your life. You are not here by sheer chance and it’s part of your life journey to find out why. You are a valuable person like all human being on this planet. Your purpose is unique because you are unique. And what is unique is precious. Do not underestimate your place in this world and the importance of your purpose.
As your purpose makes you feel content, it may sound natural for you to be willing to share it, hoping that it will bring as much happiness to others. Because the reality is that your ultimate goal, beyond your purpose, is to make other people feel happy. You want to bring happiness in Humankind by your very own way. And this is how you can start realising that indeed you care more about Humankind that you may have first thought. And this is how you actually become conscious that your purpose goes beyond yourself. Your purpose, based on your own values, passion and interest, put you on a mission to impact others.
And that is why being purpose-driven means that you have to follow your own purpose, not just others. Even if you work in purpose-driven companies dedicated to make a social impact or sustainability for example, it is important that you stay in touch with your very own purpose too. Because your purpose and your vision are also worthy. Do not underestimate the way you can change people's life, help the environment or make the Planet a better place because there are plenty of ways of making an impact. Each human being has its own purpose and each purpose is complementary because we are not competing against each other. We are all co-creators. And as a co-creator, it’s time for you to reclaim your seat at the table, bring your own contribution and make your voice heard to create a better World.
Being purpose-driven actually means that you redefine the connection between yourself, your inner strength and the others to be able to make an impact into the world. Being purpose-driven means that your reconnect your Soul-Mind-Body-World connection.
“We are visitors on this planet. We are here for one hundred years at the very most. During that period we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives. if you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true meaning of life.”
- Dalai Lama XIV
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