Having a sense of purpose in one’s life is an essential aspect of well-being, this should also transfer to your work. Having or finding your purpose in your job is an important component in your everyday life. For the most part, we spend the majority of our lives working. In fact, studies show that on average we spend up to 80,000 hours working over the course of our lifetimes. It’s no surprise that most people seek out more meaningful and fulfilling jobs. This makes complete sense seeing as we spend so much of our lives and energy working, we might as well enjoy what we do. Finding a sense of purpose in your work is a continuous process as things change over the course of one’s work life. It is important to constantly re-examine your goals and your personal values in order to re-establish your career’s purpose. In this article, we’ll look at some of the ways you can find meaning and a sense of purpose in your work.
- RECONNECT & RE-GROUP
A great way to find meaning and joy in your work is by being introspective re-examine why you initially began working in a particular field. Think of what attracted you to the job, the things about the job that initially exited and why. Sometimes after working the same job for a number of years the initial excitement fades away and your work may seem like another mundane task. In other instances, your priorities may shift and this is why introspection is important knowing that the person you are today still finds interest in their job and still prioritises it. Also make a point to find new reasons to love your job as it will result in a more purposeful and fulfilling work life.
- FOCUS ON YOUR PASSIONS
Sometimes, it may not always be possible to find work that perfectly aligns with your passions. However, there are ways to incorporate your passions into your work. As you work, find small ways to integrate your values and the things you’re passionate about in to your work. By doing so, you’ll be able to derive more meaning from your work. As the saying goes; “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
- MAKE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS
By nature, we are social beings and we derive meaning, purpose and fulfilment from the various connections we make throughout our lives. The same is equally true with the connections we make while at work. Having high-quality work relationships boost morale and offer a sense of community. When we feel close and connected with our colleagues we strive to ensure that we do our best on team projects and individual assignments in order to ensure the success of the team and the company as a whole. Having the desire to uplift our colleagues and creates a culture of support that helps one feel fulfilled in their work.
- SHARE YOUR TALENTS
When you’re good at your job, naturally, people tend to gravitate towards you and are eager to learn from you in order to better themselves. Knowing that others look to you for mentorship adds new meaning to your professional life. Working towards bettering your work for the purpose of helping others improve is a selfless way to find purpose in your work. It motivates you to keep showing up because you know that others look to you and are counting on you.
- ENJOY THE JOURNEY
For the most part, we tend to focus on the destination rather than the journey in our professional lives. By doing this, we get caught up in climbing up the corporate ladder and end up missing important details along the way. Of course, we all want to succeed and grow in our careers, however, remember to appreciate the small wins and the lessons along the way. Take pride and joy in your personal goals and celebrate the achievements of others. These moments however small they may seem are those that we will look back at with joy.
Remember that having a sense of purpose and meaning in your work is a great way to boost productivity and achieve better results. When you love the work you do and derive purpose from it the passion is evident in the quality of your work.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-ways-find-meaning-your-job-gaj-ravichandra
