Nietzsche once said, “he who has a why to live can bear any how.”
In the professional field, a career purpose can help you make better decisions around designing and choosing jobs that suit your needs. Employees with long-term goals have an easier time transitioning positions and developing skillsets.
According to a LinkedIn survey, nearly two out of three professionals are disengaged with their work—disheartening information with how much time we spend in offices.
Work takes up around twenty to thirty percent of life for most people. Professionals spend eight hours a day, five days a week, fifty-two weeks a year, on their careers. Some go far beyond this, going over sixty to eight hours weekly for more intense and competitive fields.
A clear career purpose allows us, not just in our careers but in life in general, to feel that the effort we put into our endeavors is for something greater than ourselves and will result in a meaningful reward in the end. People who are inspired by their work are more engaged and motivated to excel in their professions.
The dull sensation of being “stuck in our job” often stems from the unconscious and creeping realization that we are not moving towards a goal. A lack of career purpose can slowly erode our work ethic and make every minute of work feel tedious.
How Do You Find Your Purpose?
To a select few, this may seem like an odd question. By luck or simply by the sheer vastness of their talent, a few people find their purpose by seamlessly melding what they excel at and are passionate about. Though rare, these are the types of people who have known what they wanted to do from an early age.
Some, however, have their purpose thrust onto them through their circumstances and upbringing. For others, a career purpose is meaningless as their work is simply a means to meet their needs—which, to be fair, is a purpose in and of itself. Others, sadly, never find it at all.
So, how do we find a career purpose with only ourselves to guide us? Must we go on a solo backpacking trip around Europe or Asia? Fortunately, there are more straightforward ways to go about it.
What Could Be Better?
Look at your current life and consider with complete honesty what could be improved. Your financial situation? More time with your family, perhaps? Maybe you want to move up to a more prestigious position?
Sincere introspection will let you see what you value in your life. What skills or talents do you have that can make those things better in your unique way?
Set a Target
From what you discovered from the earlier step, think of a specific goal that is only achievable in the long term with consistent effort. Whether it’s a c-suite executive position, mastery over a particular skill, or ensuring that your children have a comfortable life, it should be a target that will hurt if you fail.
It may sound like rah-rah-rah self-help jibber jabber, but envisioning what that goal would look like once fulfilled will help clarify what you need to do.
Set the Essential Tasks
Next, and most importantly, break it down into essential steps. Most people will be overwhelmed by grand targets and react with procrastination—the seeming impossibility of making every task feel futile. Consider these crucial tasks as guides to your goal, like the lights on an airplane runway.
These will be the tasks you can do weekly or daily, such as saving up tiny amounts for that business you are dreaming of or practicing a skill for an hour or two a day.
Everybody likes looking back at the small things they could have done to change the present. But rarely do people think about the small things they could do today to make significant changes for the future. Take those small, essential steps!
Recognize That It Will Not Be Easy
While a career purpose will motivate and push you beyond what you think you are capable of, it can also be exhausting. Your burning passion can also burn you out if you do not take proper rest.
You can also be wrong about what you value the most in your life. Understand that it is normal. You can go a long way from the start of your journey only to discover that you do not like what is at the end.
It is not necessarily a failure. You may simply have changed—new values and interests can come to you and alter your career purpose. These things are not always in your control. Based on this LinkedIn career survey, it is also possible that you may have to grow older for you to realize what your career purpose is.
We should accept the fact that our purpose will change as we do. And in life, growing and learning never really stops.
iSupport Worldwide Wants to See You Find Your Career Purpose
iSupport Worldwide is a leading offshoring company based in the Philippines. We value the effort and contributions employees provide for our clients. Our company places high value on employee engagement and career development. If you’re looking for a company that will bring out the best in you and helps you find your career purpose, apply and send your resume to us.
Join us and enjoy a competitive salary package, excellent work-life balance, and a generous HMO package. Pursue your career purpose with iSupport Worldwide!
