Research has shown that having purpose and meaning in life has emotional and psychological benefits and can influence physical health. It also further enhances resilience and self-esteem, and decreases the chances of depression.
Having purpose and meaning will certainly give you that extra bounce at work.
Or you may also experience flow, which is a state of total absorption during which time seems to disappear and you feel content and fulfilled.
My grandma had a fall and underwent hip surgery. She spent several weeks recuperating in a community hospital.
There was a nurse there who was always cheerful, helpful and kind to my grandma and the other patients. When I complimented her and expressed my thanks, she shared that she was happy being a nurse and wanted to help her patients. That happiness sure came through in her mannerisms and actions!
For some, their job gives them a purpose and meaning which in turn gives them the impetus to stay enthusiastic.
For most of us, our jobs may not necessarily hold the same level of purpose and meaning. The key is to develop your own purpose and attach a meaning to your job.
I met a chef who shared that he finds meaning in his job even when he is cutting vegetables. He takes time to cut them perfectly because he can then serve it to his customers with pride. He feels happy preparing delicious food to feed his customers. He found his own purpose and meaning for being a chef. It’s not surprising that his food is always delicious!
One of the keys to attaching a meaning to your job is to uncover the value that you bring to your team.
Step 1: List down three stakeholders that you worked with or supported in the past week – for example, colleagues, vendors, clients.
Step 2: How does your contribution impact them? For example, your valuable input for the proposal enabled your business development team to successfully bid for a project.
Step 3: What is one thing you would like to do differently to feel more fulfilled when completing your tasks? For example, to be observant about your colleagues’ emotional well-being instead of being just task-driven.
Step 4: Through the discovery exercise above, craft a sentence describing the meaning you give to your job:
I enjoy my work because it creates value for (list the stakeholders) and makes them (describe the impact). At the same time, the work also offers me learning and stretching experiences such as (think about areas of self-growth).