Is It Important That Your Career Be Aligned With Your Life’s Purpose?

By Perminus Wainaina

Do you feel stuck in a job that leaves you unfulfilled at the end of the day? Do you feel like your abilities and strengths are not being utilized?

Charles had been working as an accountant for nine years when he started feeling unmotivated. He constantly battled with the question, “What am I doing with my life?” For him, everything stopped moving. Although he got promoted, he felt even more stagnant.

He went to work every day and on most days, he felt like he hadn’t accomplished anything important. “I would sit there and think what is the point of this? I kept doing it because I got a good salary from it which allowed me to support my family, keep me in the comfortable lifestyle I enjoyed as well as furthering my studies with short courses.”

If he chose to stay at work, he knew that he could easily have gotten promoted even further. But he also knew that he could get out and still succeed because he was planning for the future.

“I feel lost in my life. My only stable point is my wife – she is amazing. But work-wise, I feel useless. What changed at the beginning of this year for me is that I decided I was going to try and follow my passion. Perhaps that’s where my purpose lies.”

Like Charles, if you are feeling this way, it could be a sign that you have not found your purpose and are most likely not doing your life’s work.

You are, however, not alone.

I was once in a career that I was struggling to stay put in. In my heart and mind, I wanted to leave. Even my body started turning against me. Ultimately, I realized that I had to take the next step and not let fear hold me back.

Once I learned to move through the fear, I found tremendous advantages of knowing my life’s purpose and aligning that with my life’s work.

This is something you too can do!

How To Align Your Career & Purpose

• Don’t worry too much about titles and compensation – When you’re passionate about what you do, it’s highly likely that you will succeed because you will be doing the best that you can, working hard to attain your goals.
• Take risks – Don’t be afraid to take risks and make mistakes. You will learn from them.
• Get curious and experimental – Be genuinely interested in people and fully embrace the community around you. My chief interest is in HR. Therefore, even before getting into this profession, I knew I needed to be aware of HR practices among others. This allowed me to gain insights into how to work best and engage with professionals. 
• Keep an open mind – Be completely open-minded when it comes to receiving feedback, especially criticism. Consider what the other person is saying as objectively as possible.

Here is why you should start now

1. You’ll enjoy the benefits of focus and clarity

“There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.” – Napoleon Hill

The truth is if you’re not clear on what your life’s purpose is, it’s difficult to make effective, meaningful decisions. The people that are most successful and happy in their careers have a definitive sense of direction—without it, you will not be able to do the work you’re meant to do in the world.

2. You’ll fuel and enhance your passion

If you spend your days doing things that are important and meaningful to you, it will fuel and intensify your passions.

When you do work that not only showcases your strengths and talents, but that has personal value to you, you start to feel unstoppable.

Ask yourself, what makes you come alive, and then go do it! Whatever it is.

3. You get to be part of something bigger than yourself

When you step into your purpose, you’re not only serving the world for the better, but you’re showing others how to do the same. When you live in your purpose and share your unique talents and values with the world, you’re encouraging others to do the same just by being your authentic self.

Are you ready to start a journey to finding your dream career that’s aligned with your passions and purpose?

Perminus Wainaina is the C.E.O and Managing Partner at Corporate Staffing Services, a leading HR consultancy firm based in Westlands. Through career mentorship programs, he assists mid-level and senior professionals get solutions to complex and challenging career issues that they are facing.

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