“I am Sisyphus” announced a new client. I may not be quite up to date with Greek mythology, but I do know Sisyphus spent his days ceaselessly rolling a heavy rock up a mountain, only to have it fall back down. And for some mysterious reason, my first thought was The Myth of Sisyphus essay I had to write in college as an English Major. I do not remember any of it except the famous quote “one must imagine Sisyphus happy” and saying Sisyphus was stronger than his rock. It has been many years since I wrote that essay or engaged in class discussions about the meaning of life.
But I make a living helping people build successful careers so here’s what I’ve learned: without a clear purpose, work can seem futile. Every day brings new challenges. However, when we have a clear purpose, pushing our rock up the mountain, we find meaning and beauty in those challenges. At the core, purpose is the difference between holding a job and making a career. A job is something we do to make money with no thought into the future. A career is something we actively build as we move forward towards a goal. Put differently, a job is all about what we do, but a career is all about why we do it. At our essence, we are most motivated when we discover that authentic reason of why we do things, our purpose.
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” ~ Pablo Picasso
We all have gifts, talents, and a unique skill-set. Finding a career purpose is finding the sweet spot between discovering those talents and sharing them with the world while being paid to do it. A career journey involves figuring out the why, what, and how of work life. You begin the career journey with the end in mind: why you want to go on a particular path, what you expect to find upon arrival at each stop and what you need for the road, and then you need a plan detailing how you follow the path.
Your “why” is your purpose, your unique value proposition
Your purpose drives your decisions and actions. Pause and reflect on what you are chasing and be honest about why you are chasing it. Don’t fall into the trap of confusing purpose with fame or fortune. Make sure you purpose is aligned to the unique gifts and talents you offer the world, to the song in your heart. I encourage my clients to create their own purpose-driven career statement. Try and name your purpose in up to 10 words. Mine is “Inspire others to achieve more than they thought they could.” Or try using the following formula: I am ____________(what you offer) [VERB]___________________ (why). Mine is: “I am a professional development guide helping people find a career path that fits.”
Your “what” is your needs, the things you must have to thrive
Once you figure out your purpose, you need to consider your hierarchy of needs: what you need to have in your life, what you want to accomplish, and what you can do without. The tricky part is figuring out how much is enough, what is truly a “must have” versus a ”nice to have.” We often want more than we actually need: more money, bigger house, better car, more stuff. I am not a minimalist advocating we should only have the bare necessities of life. To me, enough is an individual choice determining what we need to have and what we are willing to give up to thrive as we live our purpose. This means having a good sense of one’s priorities in life. Taking an inventory of what you have or want to have and then asking yourself if you really need it could be eye-opening. You have to analyze what in your life is in line with your purpose and what is not. Try and make a list of everything you have or want to have in your life. You can divide the list into sub-categories such as career, relationships, health, fun/leisure, possessions/assets/stuff, etc. When you are finished, go over the list and rank each of the items in order of importance with #1 being the most important. Upon further reflection, which items can you live without and still thrive?
Your “how” is your process, the path to your purpose
To build a career based on purpose, you need to take a strategic approach to making meaningful contributions at every stage of your journey. You’d need to create an action plan and put it in writing. This is where the work really happens. Define both the big picture and the in-between action steps that would help you achieve your goals. Remember: a plan keeps you moving in a consistent direction, but plans are meant to be broken. When you are driven by purpose, your career journey is both more interesting and more challenging. Be sure to spot and take the forks in the road and dare to discover new paths. Be fluid like flowing water making its way through cracks. Adjust to the obstacles you encounter along the way as you carve your path.
Ask yourself the following 3 questions each working day:
As you start your day, first ask “what actions can I take today to support my career purpose?” and then “what is my mantra today?”
And at the end of the day, be sure to ask: “What am I grateful for today?”
Fill your work and personal life with fulfilling experiences. That’s the only real value we leave behind.
