If you are asked with this question, "Why do you work?" What would be your answer? You probably have read through different books on the topic of finding meaning and purpose in your work life. Have you formulated yours?
Last month, I have come across a couple of scenarios that triggered me to reflect on this topic.
One hot afternoon, I was reading Cheryl Bachelder's "Dare to Serve" while waiting to pick up my kids. The example she described in the book captured my attention. In one of the chapters she talks about the clarify of purpose, she describes an experience shared by a hair dresser. His perspective is amazing. Here are the quotes from the book:
In my twenties I was a partier. I didn't go to college. I didn't have a career plan. I was enjoying life--playing sports and hanging out with buddies.
My parents kept asking me about my plan, but I wasn't too concerned. Then I met this girl I really liked, and she wanted to know my plan. I decided I better get one.
A friend suggested I go to beauty school and make a living cutting hair. At beauty school, I found I had talent. With training, my skills improved. I discovered that what I loved about the job was this . . .
A woman would sit in my chair--usually stressed, feeling bad about how she looked. She needed encouragement. To face another day, she needed to be renewed.
I started making her renewal my purpose. I saw how she relaxed after a neck massage. I saw how she appreciated me shampooing her hair. I saw how she started to open up and tell me about her life. I found opportunities to tell her she was interesting to talk to. I worked hard to get her hair styled just right--whether she was going out on an important date or not. When she left my chair, I wanted her to feel differently about herself.
Everyday I get the opportunity to lift up women--encouraging them, making them feel beautiful. They leave my chair with confidence--a spring in their step. That is so much fun to watch.
When people approach their jobs with this sense of purpose, they can truly reach out and touch lives no matter what type of positions they are holding.
A few days later after reading Bachelder's book, I went to watch a concert in my kids' school. There was a kindergartner girl in the choir. She stood in the front row, sang with passion and put on a big smile the whole time. Her level of energy was compelling. My kids were not in that particular choir, so, I started off with a low interest in the songs. But passion is contagious. I got energized by her dedication and my spirit was uplifted.
The month prior to that, I was working with a local parenting magazine to put in an advertisement for a musical performance at our church. That was my very first time working with that magazine for ad. I knew nothing about the pricing, the size and the specification. The magazine personnel answered my every question so patiently, and she diligently followed up on every target date and proactively sent me the post-event advertisement reached statistics. It was such a pleasant encounter. With the level of personal attention I received, I felt like I was being served as the only customer.
As I stitch all these together, they give me precious reminder that it doesn't really matter what jobs or titles we hold; when we do our job with a sense of purpose, we can truly reach out and touch lives. As Cheryl Bachelder puts it, "Before you can help others find their purpose at work, you must find your own." Bachelder says, "Your personal purpose is one or two sentences that capture the essence of who you are and how you will serve others."
After experiencing these powerful examples, they urge me to think about working on my own personal purpose statement . . .