The Career Encouragement Blog

Some Thoughts on Purpose - Part I

It's very much in vogue these days to talk about having purpose in our work.  I hear a lot about the need to "find my purpose" when I talk to clients about their careers, but the phrase seems to mean something different to everyone.  Some clients are just looking for work that will make them feel happy and fulfilled.  Some are looking for work that they won't get bored with.  Others are looking for work that will change the world. 

We all long to know that our work is a worthwhile endeavor - that we are living out the very reason for our existence.  Most of us can quickly recognize when we don't have any sense of purpose in our work.  We feel listless and bored, and there is a gnawing sense that we were meant for something more, but we just don't know what.  It's much harder to know when we do have purpose in our work.  We can be pretty certain that just because we are rewarded handsomely for our work is not enough to say that we have work with purpose.  But is our work purpose-full just because we enjoy it?  Is our work purpose-full because others appreciate it? Or is something more required before we can describe our work as having "purpose"?

I've thought about this topic for many years now, and I don't have a book to share, a 5-step model to follow, or a self-exploration work-sheet for you to fill out, but - in the "for what it's worth" category - here are some thoughts to consider:

(1) There are short-term purposes and there are long-term purposes in our work.  A short-term purpose might be working extra hours to finish an important project that will help your company or taking on overtime hours in order to save to take your kids to Disneyworld.  Both circumstances are motivators that can help keep your energy up for a short-term period when work gets tough.  A long-term purpose might be working hard to advance to management because you have a real heart for people and want to have the opportunity to develop as a great boss who can influence the careers of others in a positive way.  We need to have both types of purpose spurring us onward in order to have a fulfilling, rewarding life. 

(2) Purpose has to do with what we are "made for" - therefore, if we define something as our "purpose in life" it will likely be something that we have the innate talent and drive to accomplish.  If you find yourself constantly working against your natural skill set, or working on things that you hate, very likely you are off purpose.

(3) Our purpose begins in the here and now.  Very often I see people so unhappy in their work, and they are looking for a radical, drastic change to get them "on track" with their purpose.  As much as it is a common human reaction to want to run when things aren't going our way, it is rarely a useful approach.  Throughout history, people who have made effective strides forward for humanity have been people who started with their present moment, and acted effectively within it.  Mother Theresa didn't set out to win a Nobel Prize - she was a nun, and that's not what nuns do.  She set out to take care of the poor - that's what nuns do. 

(4) Our purpose is typically not something we define, but it's a calling we accept.  Most great heroes did not declare what they would accomplish in their life - rather they accepted what came their way, and used everything they had to be successful in it.  Moses did not set out to free the Children of Israel.  He was taking care of sheep in the wilderness and he responded to a call.  Corrie ten Boom did not grow up intending to be a member of the Resistance movement against the Nazi's who would write a book and give speeches that would comfort and influence the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.  She was simply the daughter of a watchmaker who lived a life of faith, and responded to the families who needed help when the call came.   

(5) Similarly, our "purpose" or "calling" typically comes to us over time.  It is rarely a blinding lighting flash in the middle of a self-development seminar or the output of a self-assessment worksheet.  Joseph in the Bible had inklings that he was meant for great things, but the events of his life - kidnapped by his own brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused of rape, and left to rot in an Egyptian prison - hardly pointed towards greatness.  Yet after rising to status in the Egyptian royal ranks, he told his repentant brothers as they begged for forgiveness not to worry because, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 15:20).  As Mary Chapin Carpenter croons in "The Long Way Home," what if your job is to "see your life as a gift from the great unknown, and your task is to receive it?"

My next posting will be my best advice (for what it's worth) on how we can find purpose in our work given these 5 thoughts. 

Formula for a Successful Career

According to McArthur's Rant, the formula for a successful career is:

What you are good at ∩ what you like doing ∩ what you can make money on

(Note:  ∩ is the mathematical symbol the represents the intersection of two sets)

I like this formula for a couple of reasons.  First, it suggests that you will be happiest in your career if you are using your natural skills; and second it acknowledges that feeling fairly rewarded for your work (i.e., making money) is a significant part of career satisfaction. 

While we all know that money cannot buy us happiness, it's a good idea to acknowledge that how we are paid does factor into our overall career satisfaction.  There are a plethora of popular books advising would-be career changers to "do what you love" and "follow your passion."  But this advice typically works only if you already have your meal ticket secured (i.e., you have a trust fund, you have already built up enough investments to retire, or you have a spouse/partner who is willing to fund you passion for you).  Without that meal ticket, most of us need to work to fund our lifestyle.  Therefore, how we are paid is important.

While I like McArthur's model for a successful career, I do take gentle exception to #6 on the list of secrets for happiness in the same posting.  I don't think happiness is a goal to pursue in our careers - it is an outcome that is the result of developing our natural talents and making a contribution. 

Aristotle gave us a more productive model for considering how we build our careers:

"Where your talents and the needs of the world meet, therein lies your vocation."

Personality ID Assessment

I've mentioned before that I like career assessment tests .  Of course any test on it's own cannot answer the big question "What should I do with my life?"  But, when you take several assessments over time, after awhile you start to see a theme.  Eventually the core of who you are shows through.  When you understand your basic core - how you are wired - you can use that information to have a more productive life where you are contributing and growing your skills and talents through your work.

I ran across an interesting one recently - the Personality ID Assessment from the Career Direct Guidance System.  I'm a "Networker" - no surprise there.  But I like the way they define it, and the simple explanation of the "typical areas of struggle" and "typical areas of strength."

What Personality ID are you?

Are you a learner?

People who grow in and enjoy their careers throughought the years are typically "lifelong learners" who enjoy discovering and applying new skills and ideas in their lives.  Are you a learner?  The answer is probably "yes" if you are taking time to read a blog like this one.

As part of my doctoral program I am taking a class called "Teaching in Higher Education" where we explore questions such as "What is knowledge?" "How do we create knowledge?" and "How do we transfer knowledge to others?"  As part of the class, we were assigned to write a reflective autobiography of ourselves as learners and then to share them with each other.  It was absolutely fascinating to hear how the other students the class contemplated the presence of "learning" in their lives.  It was a good reminder to me that we rarely have the same view others have, so its a good idea to develop the habit of asking instead of telling.

I was particularly struck by the autobiography of one of my classmates, as her life experiences were so different than mine.  We are both committed lifelong learners who are enthusiastically constructing careers we enjoy, yet we come at it from such different perspectives.  With her permission, I am posting it (anonymously) below.  It's long, but I think you'll find it encouraging to know that you are not alone in your efforts to be and do good in this world - many, many others are out there on the journey with you.

Autobiography of a Learner

            My first and finest recollection of learning sends me searching through two decades of reflection.  I recall my Auntie Mamie’s request for me to spell the words on a lotion bottle to my Auntie Julia.  The lotion bottle read “Rose Milk.”  I remember my Auntie Julia replying, “Oh Mamie she is very smart.”  I was four years of age, when my Aunt Julia identified me as being smart.  So, in essence, I would attest my Auntie Mamie, who was my caregiver for 7 years, prepared me for kindergarten similar to the early childhood programs of the late 20^th and 21^st century.  As an enthusiastic preschooler receiving informal preschool/early childhood education instruction, I was very eager to attend school.  Since my 7 elder siblings attend school and I would hear there conversation about school, I was excited and often imagined the classroom.  For example, I vividly recall thinking about a desk, a chair and the teacher.  At last, I finally attended kindergarten and was pleased and excited to attend everyday, unlike my siblings, who were often frustrated and unhappy with school.  From my limited experience as a student/learner, it was pleasing to interact with the other children, discover and learn new songs. 

            At the age of 7, my first informal yet effective first instructor, Auntie Mamie died.  As a result, I moved in with my elder 7 siblings, 3 younger siblings, and single mother.  Before my Auntie Mamie died, I remember my mother would visit my Auntie and me every Sunday afternoon following church.  On every visit my mother would bring along a business size manila envelope/folder with mail.  My Auntie Mamie would read the proceedings to my mother and instruct her on how to respond to each correspondence.  After my Auntie Mamie died, my mother decided to visit my Auntie Julia.  Now 8 years of age, I learn that my mother is illiterate.  On bright crisp Sunday afternoon following church, I accompany my mother to Auntie Julia’s house.  During our bus ride, I ask my mother to let me see the envelope and she passed it over to me with a cautioned look in her eyes.  I responded with a passion look in my eye; to assure my mother that I could help her with reading the mail; I read it out loud.  She immediately opened her eyes, which was a sign that I was reading out loud. 

            At the ripe age of 8, with a limited elementary education; I was an advanced, critical thinker and learner.  With only four years of experience as a learner, I learned my mother could not read and write.  Also, on another occasion, I learned my older siblings would short change my mother whenever she sent them to the convenience store for grocery items.  My mother located convenience and authority within me.  As time progressed, I eagerly resumed Auntie Julia’s duties.  I read my mother the mail and instructed her on how to respond.  I taught her how to read and write.  The first book we read was A Duck is A Duck.  Later I would go to the library alone and check out books to read to my mother.  Our list included texts by Ezra Jack Keats and other childhood writers. 

            As I continued my education, I educated and empowered my mother.  Later she enrolled in an evening adult basic education course.  I vividly recall her instructor, Ms. Williams.  Ms. Williams enjoyed having me assist her evening adult class.  I would help the other students with Math assignments as well as praise the students when they mastered a concept or idea.  Ms. Williams’s students would reward me with money ($1 or $5 or candy) and inform my mother “your daughter is smart; you better keep her away from those boys and let her finish her education.”  The entire adult basic education class was familiar with my name and would encourage my mother to bring me to class. 

            Unlike most daughter and mother, my mother and I relationship was non-traditional.  I was the instructor and she was the learner.  Yet, I was a curious child, and on occasions my mother would describe her childhood and inability to attend school.  So one day I questioned my mother about her illiteracy and why she did attend school as a child.  She informed me that she was unable because she had to work or was needed in the field.  With only three to four years of education, I was just introduced to civil rights and Martin Luther King.  My mother with limited education was instructing me on my first lesson of poverty, civil rights, segregation, sharecropping and the legal institution of Southern slavery.  She revealed a promised she made to herself, “if I ever have children, they would not work in a field.  Or in a white families’ house. They would attend school.”  My mother was took part in the Great Migration (black southeners relocating to Midwest states like Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, etc.)  Now in a new city and following Brown v. Board of Education, my mother was in a position to access her dream/promise. 

            During my undergraduate experience, I connected all the stories, songs and hymns my mother shared with me as a youth as a learning experience about poverty in Black America, African-Americans underrepresented and underprepared for higher education, and how social and public policy once launched to eliminate poverty has reversed its mission.  I became a critical, reflective teacher from my earliest experiences as a learner.  My experience as a learner prepared me to strive for opportunities to challenge poverty, value education as well as lesson I learned about the injustices of the South, and be my children’s first formal educator.

-End