In your lifetime, you will spend 90,000 hours at work. That is approximately one-third of your life.
Given careers have a huge impact on our lives, it’s important we understand our WHY. Why do we do the work that, for many of us, occupies most of our waking hours for our entire adult lives? When you connect your WHY with your career, you have a deeper purpose and it’s easier to sustain motivation for your career over the course of your life.
German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche once said, ?He who has a why can endure any how.?
Knowing your why is an important first step in figuring out how to build a career founded with purpose. If you know your why, you can set and achieve the goals that genuinely interest you. An on-purpose career is one you are passionate, and committed to. We innately have a need to align our life, our being, and our authentic self with our work – this is our purpose. However, too often we realise later on, that we are sleepwalking through our careers, we are overworked and unfulfilled and we lack purpose.
Without knowing your purpose, it is hard to know what you really want out of a career. This uncertainty can leave you unmotivated, wasting your time working towards goals that don’t resonate with you. However, when you find that why, your motivation changes and it becomes easier to set goals that are truly important to you. In turn, you are more deeply committed to pursuing your goals, and you can achieve anything you put your mind to!
In everyday life, a career without purpose can look like that Monday morning dread, the questions you have about your impact and feelings of limited growth.
Much like life purpose, a sense of purpose in your career can be difficult to find. We aren’t saying quit your current role to embark on a philosophical journey to find your purpose, there are many ways you can gain deeper insight into yourself, and therefore a perspective on what you have to offer the world.
I suggest, if you are thinking about what an on-purpose career looks like for you, to start by understanding yourself before you discover which career is going to fulfill you. Reflect internally about your skills, passions, your values. It’s at the point where they intersect, that you find your why and you can start creating a successful on-purpose career.
Be the CEO of your own career. Career management is all about planning the way you work and where you work to achieve your larger career goals.If you are ready to find a job that lights a career-long spark, browse our recent opportunities on our JOBS or get in touch with one of our experienced consultants.