Purpose

"You often feel tired, not because you’ve done too much, but because you’ve done too little of what sparks a light in you.” -Alexander Den Heijer

It has been a tough couple of years for me career wise. I loved my time in healthcare consulting, but at the end of 2019, I made the decision to come off the road so I could be more available to my family. Three months later I was in the middle of the pandemic. I was not happy in my work and although I knew some of it may have been due to the pandemic - I felt deep down that my work was not meaningful. It did not ignite a spark.

We all want to feel that our work matters. It impacts our motivation, our success, and our well-being. When our work aligns with our value and passions it gives us a deep sense of meaning. It gives us purpose.

What is purpose?

Purpose can be thought of as your reason for being. It connects you with something bigger than yourself. Unlike a goal, is not something you ever achieve. It defines the direction of your life.

That does not mean that every day will be perfect, but if you are living your purpose even your most mundane days are a meaningful part of achieving the greater plan. Work is a huge part of our lives and the way we spend our lives matters.

My work purpose found me long ago. I think that is what a purpose does is that it finds you. I have grown up in healthcare. I have been in operations, information technology, worked for physician practices, and worked in large hospital organizations. Like many industries, Healthcare has a lot of opportunity for improvement. My work purpose is to contribute and ensure that the patient experience and the provider experience are both better for me having been a part.

Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. -John F. Kennedy

Benefits from purpose

When you have purpose and you are working towards it, the work is meaningful. There are so many benefits to meaningful work:

• You are motivated - you believe in what you are doing.

• You are creative - you believe in the significance of your work and you think outside the box to find solutions.

• You are resilient - When faced with challenges or setbacks you persevere because you know the greater goal is worth the hard work. It is a great driver to stay motivated when things get tough and you know you are making a difference in the world because you understand your purpose.

• You are willing to learn - you dig deeper to find the solution or you think outside of the box

• You find your tribe - you meet people with similar purpose and attract other like-minded people. You find your work family.

Having purpose infuses our work with passion, dedication, and a sense of making a difference. This reflects in our attitude, effort, outcomes, and leads to greater personal satisfaction. Who does not want that person as an employee?

Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. - Helen Keller

As I stated earlier, the last few years of my career were unfulfilling. Although I was working in my industry, I was not in the right role or using my gifts that best served my purpose. I can tell in just 6 months that I have found my work family and back to enjoying what I do. Having a purpose does not mean I do not have bad days, long hours, frustration, etc., but it does mean I know why I am here and that I can make a difference.

Have you found your purpose, or has it found you? Do you have a gauge for how you measure it? For me it was three questions:

• Am I proud of where I work?

• Do I find meaning in my work?

• Do I have fun at work?

Remember it is ok to find what sparks that light! 💛

Until next time…. -Leigh