Purpose is a far-reaching, steady goal, something personally meaningful and self-transcending that, ideally, shows up in our lives every day.

– Viktor Frankl

Did you know that a sense of purpose could actually lead to a longer life? According to research conducted by the Association for Psychological Science in 2014, feeling that you have a sense of purpose in life may help you live longer. Those with a sense of purpose tend to have 15% lower risk of death.

Do you also know that people who consider their work to be a calling tend to be more satisfied than those who think of their work as “just” a job?
We feel more energised, motivated, happier and empowered when we have a clear sense of purpose at our jobs. Therefore, for us to make the greatest impact at our jobs and also feel the greatest satisfaction we need to tap into work’s deeper meaning given on average we spend at least 40 hours every week at work.

Here are 5 practical steps to discover or rediscover your purpose at work.

Identify what drives you

Understanding what drives and motivates you enables you to invest your time at work on activities that help you live your purpose. When you’re neck deep responding to emails, conference calls and switching from one meeting to the other, it’s hard to identify how you’re contributing to a purpose. Perform an assessment to examine what aspects of your job you enjoy the most and which aspects you dislike.
What aspects of your work day do you find most exciting?
What aspects of your job are weighing you down the most?
What are some things you are grateful for?
What are the activities or interactions you look forward to doing at your job?
What are your most rewarding professional and personal experiences?
What work experiences that made you feel the proudest?
How does your boss, peers, colleague or work friends see you?

Simplify your purpose

Many people assume that purpose needs to be one single revolutionary ground-breaking achievement such as building a life changing app like Facebook or finding the cure for breast cancer. In several instances this is not realistic or achievable for most people. In fact our purpose is more likely found in simple moments in our day-to-day job. Like opening a door for someone coming out of a lift. Genuinely asking a colleague how their weekend was because you really care about people. Leaving a smile on a client’s face. Reducing your bosses work-related stresses.

Start to look at your purpose and legacy as something you uniquely possess that you can offer to others, your strengths. This can include your expertise, time, skill, experience, empathy, hospitality, generosity which are real things you can choose to give to others at work. Choosing to break down your daily experiences into small impactful moments is choosing to discover your purpose at your job. Rather than waiting for a huge revolutionary discovery that may never come, accept that purpose does not have to be one big world changing impact. Your purpose can also be found in the daily mundane work activities.

Connect to the company’s mission

Even if you have been working in a company for several years, take a step back and look for the mission, vision and values on the company website. You can find purpose if the connection between your work and yourself is present and strong. Take a look at your day-to-day activities and find ways to align your work with the company’s mission. Think how your skills, expertise and output contribute or can contribute to the bigger vision. For example, below is the mission statement for the company where I work:

We want to be a bank that contributes to economic growth and to the community. A bank that can generate a positive impact- for its clients, employees, investors and the society.
I could easily see how my day-to-day work and positive interactions contributes to this overall mission.

Revamp your job

You might be responsible for many tasks that simply feel meaningless and likely  don’t matter to the team’s goals or count towards the organisation’s mission. Make a list to determine how much of your time is spent on what you enjoy which are value adding versus energy draining activities. Decrease the time you spend on tasks that drain your energy. Increase the time you spend on those tasks you enjoy.
This could mean taking on a task that forces you to learn a new skill or engage with people you wouldn’t normally get to. For instance, you might take some time to teach new team members or get to know colleagues in different departments. See every meeting or interaction as an opportunity to make an impact. Serving others, building connections and helping junior team members grow can provide a strong sense of purpose. Helping others succeed can not only be purposeful, but also rewarding. If you have time or capacity, look for projects that could use your strengths and offer to help. It’s not enough to have purpose yourself. You have to create a sense of purpose for others.

Find a role model or mentor

Identify a person you admire or respect at work. Find someone you admire who has reached the career success you want. Don’t limit yourself to someone you know or someone in your department. Remember a mentor does not have to be perfect in all areas. Get their attention through a mutual connection or genuine direct engagement. Forward them an email with a link or resource they could find valuable. You can write a message to them that says “I admire where you are in your career. What is one book you recommend I read right now?” Read their recommendation and then send a follow-up email thanking them. Include a list of key takeaways from the book. With a mentor’s help, you can go a long way. Now that you know how to find one, start looking. If you can’t think of anyone you admire at work, that in itself might tell you something. Once you find someone you admire, take time to learn from them, put in the hard work and reap the reward. A good mentor can help you identify your core values, strengths and guide you towards a career you love.
Don’t feel that you need to quit your current job to find purpose and motivation in life. A simple mindset change can be all it takes to give you the boost you need to do your best work evec single day.

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