Find your Work Purpose
Work creating from your unique talents, fuels your soul, and contributes meaningfully.
A practice I was introduced to during a time when I needed clarity. I love when what we need to hear arrives in the perfect moment. Here is how to find your Work Purpose, inspired by Ikiga.
Ingredients:
A large piece of paper, pens, and highlighters. I used the back of some building materials as I wanted something big enough to reflect on. Get creative!
A space where you won’t be disturbed.
A way to centre yourself. I use karakia and light a candle while I’m creating.
Method:
Centre yourself.
Divide your paper into four sections:
What You Love: Write everything you love, beyond just work include all areas of your life.
What You’re Good At: List all your strengths, including those others have recognised in you.
What You Can Make Money From: Think creatively and feel free to research there are endless possibilities.
What the World Needs More Of: Consider community-level needs all the way to a global perspective.
Look for synergies between all four sections and begin highlighting or circling common themes.
In the middle of the page, start writing a statement that threads these elements together into your work purpose.
You may come up with multiple statements that could become your Work Purpose. Refine them until you find the one that feels absolutely true.
Sit with your Work Purpose. Close your eyes. How does it feel? Write that down.
There should be a whole-body fuck yes moment when you land on it, maybe goosebumps, maybe an undeniable pull. If it doesn’t come immediately, let it sit with you for a few days. I refined mine for a week before it fully landed.
Keep your Work Purpose somewhere visible so you can reflect on it daily. As you build the courage and ideas to step into it, let it serve as a guiding light.
When I rediscovered my Work Purpose, I felt a deep knowing and a little fear. The truth was, I wasn’t pursuing my deepest dream, and it was time to step up. It took another month to clarify what this truly meant for me and how I would deliver this for myself. And another month to confidently state to others: This is my work. I create supportive spaces for women to actualise their dreams.
This work is driven by my belief that if we all actualise our dreams in ways that align with our deepest values, without exploiting others or the use of unfair value chains, the world would be a more equitable and peaceful place.
If you give this a go, I would love to hear where you land. What does your Work Purpose reveal to you?
