What even is 'living a life with purpose' anyway?
Doing this WITH purpose - Doing things ON purpose - Doing things FOR purpose.
This week I am creating content for people looking to explore business ideas and how it is important to reflect on their purpose in the process, including how it aligns with their values and needs.
We spend a lot of time at work, which doesn't include the time that we 'think' about work. When we invest this much time, energy and attention on something we must align it with the things that are important to us, otherwise it is a very uncomfortable place to be and often leads to stress, overwhelm and burnout.
I often share the story of my days in the police when we recruited for a new department to handle non-emergency calls. The 'purpose' of the department was to provide a one-stop shop, focused on customer care and dealing with calls at the first point of contact. We recruited people based on their values and skills of customer care, problem-solving, and attention to detail.
It all worked well until the landscape changed.
More technology, more mobiles, more emails - more demand.
We simply couldn't work in the same way, and meet the demand.
We had to change the way we worked.
Whilst we met demand, and we met our service level agreement we ended up with teams of people who had to work in a way that was out of alignment with their values, did not meet their needs and did not enable them to work to their strengths.
Ultimately we lost a lot of good people, thankfully many stayed in the organisation and went to roles where they could work to their strengths and the next recruitment phase focused on different values and skill sets.
The moral of this story?
When we are aligned with our values, when we have work that meets our needs, when we show up with purpose and behave with intention, then we are most likely to perform at our highest potential.
For those of you who are aspiring or new business owners, finding your purpose can help you build a business that aligns with your values and passions.
Make sure that you are considering this when you are creating your business plan.
If you would like some help with this, get in touch, and we can talk through the best way I can help you.
Whether you are employed or self-employed, understanding your purpose can enhance your professional and personal lives, leading to more fulfilment and satisfaction.
..and for those of you in leadership roles, understanding this in your teams can help too.
As you read this blog, reflect on what you believe your purpose is, and how it impacts your daily lives. I would love to hear yours :-)
Have a great rest of the week - may it be both purposeful and intentional!
Zoe
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