Sense of Purpose
I never really got this when I was younger….
I had read so many books about your life’s purpose and thought it was something extremely dramatic, when you suddenly had an epiphany about your life and what direction you should be taking. I had always been inspired with some of the greats, such as Richard Branson, Anita Roderick, and many others. They knew what they wanted, they knew had to add value and they knew their sense of purpose.
I never really knew what I wanted to do when I was younger. I started work when I was 17ish and was chasing the money. I think I was paid something like £700 per month, for working 7 days per week. I thought I was rich!
Money mattered to me…. I didn’t have a clue about my sense of purpose, how I could add any value to anyone or any company. In fact, I think I was selfish.
I worked in telesales and would spend approx. 10 hours per day on the phone to people, trying to book car hire for their holidays. It seemed easy. The people were nice, and I enjoyed talking to them on the phone. As the role evolved, I learnt to slow down a little and listen to how the person on the other end of the phone spoke, what pace they used and words that they used. I learn how to build a rapport with someone over the phone and I know this sounds a bit cheesy, but I loved it. For me, being able to speak to someone that was maybe a little aloof at first, to have them chatting away at the end of the call, was a great feeling. I never felt uncomfortable. In fact, the more people I spoke to, the more people I wanted to talk to. I don’t think it was just the talking to people, it was the ability to help others that started to matter to me.
When I now look back at my career, I initially made decisions to accept roles, based upon the money. But I think as I have become older, I have really started to question….what is my real sense of purpose…shouldn’t I be doing something that I actually love… rather than just making money for other people…
If I could go back in time now and do what I love doing- what would that be and why…? (this is always a great question to ask yourself and be honest)
Are you in a role because you love it, or because you are being paid to do the role….?
Knowing your real sense of purpose gives you a massive boost of motivation and clarity. You no longer wake up in the morning with that feeling of dread going to work, because you are doing something that comes naturally to you and that you love.
I remember during the recent lockdown, the lack of interaction with people, not being able to talk to people made me feel a little lost. I remember thinking, I feel like I have lost my sense of purpose.
I took part in an exercise many years ago, with a training company and they spoke about the perfect team. A team where everyone knew exactly what they were doing and why they were doing it. This gave them a sense of pride because they were all working towards the same goal and everyone knew what was expected of them.
If you were to be totally honest with yourself now…
- What legacy would you want to leave behind…what would you like people to remember you for…. (interesting that making money rarely comes into this)
- What do you do that gives you happiness and a sense of fulfilment?
- How can I stop the feeling that I am wasting my time?
- If you were to write your own mission statement, what would it say?
- If someone said to you that you could turn back time and start again, what would you be doing now?
I think that time goes past so quickly, and we spend so much time on this hamster wheel of life, doing something that we have just got caught up in, rather than something that we love..…how great would it be, if you knew your true sense of purpose……