Friday, June 13, 2014

3 Small and Easy Ways to Find Job Purpose

Everyone has a job. Well, unless you are blessed with not having to work, or maybe you choose to do volunteer work, or maybe you are a stay-at-home parent (which is probably the hardest job of all!) it is true that most of us have a job. We need a source of income. We need that paycheck. And we probably even need benefits. But at what point does a person settle for just any job and feels okay with it just being, well, that? How many people do you know have actually found not only a job that they like, but one that also has meaningful job purpose?

Passion is Fashion. Project managers, for example, are proactive go-getters that have an innate ability and personality to plan, organize, set goals, and just get things done. I can say this here because I am one. However, each and every individual has a burning passion within them. It's that fire that allows them to achieve what they want to. However, passion needs to come from inspiration and motivation. Each individual needs to find what heir "fire" is, what gets them excited to set goals, make things happen, and strive for success. In order to keep that fire burning, there needs to be fuel. The fuel, in this case, is job purpose.

It's really easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutiae and boring details of any job, but it's important to remember what and who is it that you are working for. Of course, as we mentioned above, your "purpose" could be a paycheck, going on a dream vacation, or buying a new car, maybe you have children to raise, or maybe you just can't survive without an income. We all have our reasons for working, but are those reasons enough? Maybe. But wouldn't it be great to work for something greater? Now you can, with finding job purpose. Find that purpose, give it fuel, and make it happen for yourself…because you are worth it.

Make it Personal. One of the unwritten rules of working for a living is that we should never take things personally. It's just a job, it's not your life. While this can be true, sometimes giving projects or areas of your job your own personal touch can be quite rewarding. Each individual's personality plays a huge role how they work, of course. Each job requires a certain level of creativity, whether that's how you provide customer service and speak to clients, how you organize yourself, how you relate to coworkers, or even how you get your job done. The psychology behind how we work is both an art and a science. That level of creativity is an individual's own personal touch, which is also what makes you successful and helps you find job purpose.

Make an Impact Every Day. Even if you have the most boring ob known to man (and woman!), I'd bet money that you could still find a way to changes lives with what you do, and how you do it. Approach is key here. The point is also to find how you can help and impact another's life (regardless of how small or insignificant it may seem) and keep that goal in the front of your mind each day you go into work. 

What if your job doesn't involve working with people or the public? What if you work in a warehouse or stock shelves? Even if your job or area of expertise doesn’t change lives directly, you can focus your energy towards a coworker or supplier you may have a great working relationship with. A "hello, how are you?" and a smile in the hallway can make a bigger and more positive impact than what you might think. It will make getting up and going to work each day that much more rewarding.

But at the end of the day (literally), work is work. Working for a living is tough, and I bet most of us would choose to not do it. It's true that some jobs are more challenging than others, some are enjoyable, but at the end of the day, it's all still work. However, your willingness and effort to seek out and find job purpose really can make all the difference. Analyze your job as it is now, and find out how you can add your own personal touch, fuel your passion, and really strive to do something great each day.


Image credit: © iQoncept - Fotolia.com

Written content: © 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 J. H. Language Solutions 

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