Work & Purpose: How to live it without quitting your job (and possibly land a promotion)

Shift your perspective today!

Hello friend! 👋

This week’s letter is close to my heart.

Finding purpose has been the best productivity intervention I have ever implemented in my life. When all the energy invested points in one direction, it exponentially multiplies and creates a massive impact. The impact that generates outcome far more than the input dedicated to it.

But finding purpose as a concept has been beaten up and overcomplicated.

It doesn’t have to be with way.

Let’s dive straight in!

Purpose is Values In Action

Let’s simplify life.

Purpose doesn’t have to be a grandeur mission to end world hunger or end all political struggles. These are noble goals to have but far too complex to solve on a daily basis.

Instead, we can think of purpose in much smaller micro-instances of doing something in line with our values.

For example, when you dress up every day in the morning as you head to work, you open up your wardrobe and choose your favorite attire, pieces that you’ve picked up distinctly from numerous other options. Along with your attire goes the rest of your look; how you wear your hair, what perfume you wear, what colors you like, etc..

When you look exactly the way you like to look, it feels good, authentic, and rewarding.

That’s a micro-act of purpose. You’ve put the values of your “lifestyle” into “action” by looking the way you like to look.

Now what does this have to do with work?

Well, we can extend the same concept to everything else we would like to bring purpose to, in relationships, goals, hobbies, and, most importantly, work.

So, instead of thinking of purpose as ONLY the grandeur of global impact, we can shift our focus to our daily activities and check in with ourselves - is what I’m currently doing in alignment with what I value? If not, how can I align, change, or find value in it?

This brings me to the next topic 👇

Transform your career into a calling

Work has a bad rep.

But just like stress, it is not the actual act but our perception of it that changes its meaning. For example, when we are excited, our body experiences the same level of “physiological stress” as it does when we are anxious. However, due to our perception of the event, we experience it as excitement or anxiety.

Work takes on a similar approach.

If we believe that work is a burden, a necessity to earn money to survive, then our perception of it is completely different from when we engage with it as an opportunity to create something unique. Work is our way of engaging with the world and showcasing our unique gifts.

The father of Positive Psychology (Martin Seligman) tells us that there are three types of professional work:

A Job, a Career, and a Calling. The job is done for the paycheck, which is pretty transactional. The career is pursued for personal goals and development. However, a calling is work we do for something bigger than ourselves.

And he tells us the quickest way to transform a career into a calling is by actively bringing our core strengths (our values) to the work we do and to do it in service to others.

So, you don’t have to quit to find your calling. Instead, you can transform your current environment into a space through which you create with purpose (by bringing your values to work). For example, if your strength/value is Curiosity then finding new ways to solve existing problems or exploring different functions within the same company.

All the while aligning the outcome in service to something bigger than you (usually helping others transform)

Thrive and create

When working in complete alignment with your strengths and values (with purpose), you create your best work.

An inevitable part of operating at this high level is getting work done exceptionally better than the average. This doesn’t only raise your career capital and expertise; it also raises your value as a high-performance individual.

Couple that with the intention of transforming it into a calling by looking through the lens of “Serving Others”, and you’d then create a network of genuine supporters and sponsors.

One piece of advice I’ve always given the high performers of my team: If you want to be promoted to the next level, you have to be already playing at the level before you’re even considered. This is super important because that’s what gets you noticed. But what is more important than this is when you do it with purpose, then you guarantee consistency.

And consistency is the Secret Sauce to any success!

When we detach from the outcome and focus on the process, consistency becomes easier (because we are not distracted from the process). When we are consistent, our impact compounds. Not only will you be, as Cal Newport says, So Good They Can’t Ignore You, but also you’ll do it with zest and passion.

That’s the epitome of an effective, thriving, and engaged work attitude.

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Take an active role in bringing your values and strength to your everyday existing work and transform your career into a calling that gives you purpose and fulfillment.

If you need any help navigating your current challenges, don’t forget that I’m here to help - that’s my calling ☺️

Have a Super Sunday! 💪

With much joy,

Hashim

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Whenever you’re ready, here are 2 more ways I can help you:

1. Awareness Strengthening via Mindfulness Workshop: Sign up to the upcoming FREE 90-min workshop, to explore the science-backed benefits of mindfulness. There’s one happening today at 3:30PM but future slots will open up in August.

2. 1:1 Coaching: Book a free 30-min Coaching Discovery Call to explore the value of getting scientifically-proven Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology frameworks that are tailored to your own journey to reach your goals. Let’s win together! 💪