As I studied psychology at varsity, many moons ago, I was taught many different theories of human development. Seated on my bed, textbooks spread out, I found myself drawn to the theories of one particular man – Victor Frankl. Frankl believed that humans are motivated by the desire to find meaning in life, and that motivation for living comes from finding this purpose. This idea intrigued me, as a young women, trying to figure out her own place in this world. And I find I think of it often, particularly at junctures in my life where my meaning or purpose is shifting – like recently where I went from a mom working outside the home to much more of a full time stay at home mom with a bit of a side hustle and a few hours a week working from home…
But just what is purpose and how do we find it? Entire libraries have been written on this topic, which says to me there is no one definitive answer. What is purpose and meaning for you may well not be what it is to me, and yet we are all on this path of trying to find meaning in our lives.
What is true though is that recent research clearly shows four factors play a key role in promoting meaning or purpose in our lives. These are:
- Physical and mental well-being, including mental resilience and stress reduction strategies.
- Belonging and recognition or feeling part of something bigger than yourself and feeling valued and validated for this.
- Personally important activities, or things we treasure such as hobbies, family, friends and even work.
- Spiritual closeness and connectedness, which may include religion but can also be found in seeing that things in this world are all interrelated.
This is one of the reasons we have built Working Moms Thrive on the pillar of purpose. Finding our purpose or meaning in being both workers and moms is vitally important to our mental well-being and happiness. We believe that focussing on each of these five pillars will help you thrive – in all your roles.
But just how do you find purpose at work?
This is a question many of us have had over the time of this pandemic. There is nothing like a world altering virus to make you think about what you are doing with your life! Yet what is very clear is that for most of us, finding purpose isn’t necessarily easy. It requires time and a willingness to figure out what makes us tick. This self-awareness is a process of discovery. There are, however, a few points that can help you start on this path…
- Ask yourself what has changed – figuring out and addressing the root cause of your feelings of meaningless at work is the first step. Is it ongoing stress? Diminished productivity? Tension with colleagues? Have your usual avenues for dealing with work stress been changed by the current restrictions? Know what is the problem can help you start to figure out the best solution.
- Offset this negativity with finding moments of things that bring you joy – if work or life has lost its appeal – at least for now, try to think of things that might sparkle just a little. Where can you find moments of joy and meaning? Take a walk, concentrate on being mindful as you drink your tea, read a book, page through a magazine. Savouring these small moments is one way to start on the path to finding meaning.
- Be kind – our current situation has taken a toll on our physical, emotional and mental well-being; and it’s hard to find meaning when we’re running on empty. But this is true for everyone around us and it’s helpful to remember that. Let’s be kind to ourselves and to each other. One way to start is to focus on gratitude practices – reminding ourselves that we are connected to something bigger than ourselves and that we are not alone. Check out our link.tree for resources that might help you with this…
- Reflect on your values and your goals – what motivates you? What do you care about? How are you spending your time and using your abilities? All of these things will help you figure out more of your purpose. Then look at work. What drives you? What contributions do you want to make? How does the work you do impact other people? What first excited you about your job? Answering these questions can help re-ignite your passion and help you find meaning in your daily tasks.
- Offer your help – being helpful is gratifying and is a small way to increase your personal sense of purpose. Look for ways to make new contributions to your job which you would find meaningful. Think about how your newly audited skills, knowledge and strengths might help your workplace in a time of difficulty. If your job is not offering you much meaning, seeking out ways to help others through mentoring, coaching, volunteering or getting involved in outside organizations is another way to find personal meaning. This also builds relationships and a sense of interconnectedness which is vital to finding meaning and satisfaction in what we do.
Just why is finding meaning in your work important?
We are hard wired to seek connection and find meaning in even the worst of circumstances and a sense of purpose or finding meaning in the work we do (regardless of what that is) ultimately increases our job satisfaction, overall happiness and sense of well-being. So it’s important. And so we can use this knowledge and the points above to seek meaning. Which is needed now more than ever.
Written by Robyn Jacobs
Working Moms Thrive 