How to Connect Your Everyday Work to a Higher Purpose?
Most of the people think that the words like ‘purpose’ or ‘meaning’ of life are not meant for them. Rather they think that these kinds of words for entrepreneurs or social activists or for people who want to do or achieve something big in their life. Moreover, they don’t give enough time to themselves to understand the reason for their existence. Hence, most of the people don’t have clarity about the purpose of their life.
I believe that all people (irrespective of what kind work they do and the position they hold) can find the purpose of their life if they try to look at their everyday work from a slightly different perspective.
You can also find the purpose of your life and can find your work more meaningful if you (by connecting the dots as mentioned below in this article) try to understand how your work is impacting others’ life, and ultimately connected with a larger purpose.
Tips for Finding the Purpose of Your Life
Though developing clarity about one’s life’s purpose is not so easy, but you will not be able to do that if you will not start working on it. It is not going to happen by itself. You need to think about and reflect on how your everyday work is connected with a larger purpose. Given below are some steps that can help you in this direction, and ultimately can help you in finding the purpose of your life:
1. First, take time and just be with yourself. Think deeply about the work that you do for livelihood. It doesn’t matter what kind of work you do – whether you work in a restaurant, hospital, school, financial firm, information technology firm etc. Also, it doesn’t matter what position you hold.
2. Pause for some time, think, and reflect on the question: What is motivating you to come to your work every day? Is it money, social status, happiness, fame, job security or something else? Try to clearly understand ‘Why are you working?’
3. Then analyze the tasks that you perform in your work. Try to see how the tasks that you perform in your work impact others’ lives – whether they are your colleagues, subordinates, customers, students, clients, patients, general public or any other entity.
4. Then try to understand the mission of your organization. Try to understand ‘Why does your organization exist?’ If you try to understand why does your organization exist, I am sure that you will realize that your organization does not exist just to make money. Rather you will realize that it was started, and exist, for a larger cause of improving others’ life. Try to link your work with the mission or larger goals of your department or of the organization.
5. By connecting the dots i.e., linking the tasks that you perform in your work to the larger goals of your department or organization, you will be able to see how your work is impacting others’ life.
6. By doing this, you will be able to understand how your work is connected with the mission of your organization or how it is impacting others’ life. By it, I hope you will be able to find the larger purpose of your life.
7. Ultimately, finding the purpose of your life can help you in seeing your work more meaningful. Also, it can help you in finding your life a lot more fulfilling and satisfying.
