Three steps to finding your purpose and fulfilling it.
Do you ever have moments where the work you do, who you do it with and how you do it starts to niggle?
Something doesn’t feel right anymore, and you may or may not know what is causing that.
Covid lockdown and remote working created space for considering how we live our lives and how we earn money to live that life. Many renegotiated their hours, where they work, and a high number of people resigned.
Resigning is a big step, and for some, that decision may have been made in haste.
Will resigning be the best step toward your true purpose?
One way to check this is to establish or re-establish connection with your purpose. Your ‘Purpose’ is defined by your reason for being, it is what gets you out of bed in the morning, it gives you a drive, direction and motivation.
Your purpose changes through life and your may not have realised a change in yours.
You have an inbuilt neurobiology to find connection and shared purpose with others. It is what helps humans survive and thrive.
When there is disconnection through shared purpose it creates unsettling feelings, raises stress levels and can impact your confidence and self-belief. Your work-place is an important arena for connection with others and knowing your purpose can help you assess why you do what you do and if you are in the right environment.
Find your purpose using IKIGAI
Ikigai is a Japanese word that combines the terms iki, meaning “alive” or “life,” and gai, meaning “benefit” or “worth.” IKIGAI in terms of your career, is the sweet spot, where three key areas align with the work you do now or can steer some changes in your career.
Three steps to identifying your IKIGAI / purpose
Step one – Self-reflection – without boundaries
Step two – Reflection analysis – What purpose has been revealed, how close are you to living it, how does your current work situation fulfil it or not?
Step three – Plan the changes that can give you that fulfilment.
My IKIGAI
Your purpose, your IKIGAI, enables you to bring your authentic self to the workplace.
Some may say values do that, and they are an aid. The piece about what the world needs is what makes the difference. Being able to connect to it, express it, stand up for it and represent it.
Not everyone will agree with your purpose or like you for it, yet they will see the real you.
If you are unable to do what you love, unable to do what you are good at and see that what you do makes a positive contribution to the world, it could be time to start looking at your career choices?
Does the organisation you work in have a purpose you connect to?
If so, the opportunity of doing a little more of what you love and are good at is all you need. Some organisations give people time in the year to do something that matters to them or to learn something in which they are interested. That might be all you need.
What next?
- Have a go at finding your IKIGAI
- Share it with your leader/manager/team so they can understand you even more. compare with their purpose
- See how any gaps can be filled in work or outside of it – sometimes it’s not paid work. It could be raising money for something or volunteering.
Want help with this or to learn about how else I can support leaders to be their best for their teams and their team’s performance and engagement
Learn more about my Headstrong Coaching Programme – Reach New Heights in Leadership and Life