As I write the title of this article, I reflect on how I am more comfortable to use the word "quit" now. At the time of leaving my corporate career, I used words like "I have resigned", "I am leaving", "time for a change" etc. The word "quit" somehow didn't sit right in my vocabulary - it felt like I was giving up! This is mostly linked to our conditioning of following the path with education, job, career progression and so on. Why would someone leave a comfortable job after all? Read on to find out what drove my decision.
When I left my job last year, the announcement read that Anne is leaving to follow her passion. This is not entirely true, because I have been passionate about a lot of things in my previous work to the extent that I would care too much and get emotionally attached. In hindsight, the real reason I left my job was to follow my purpose.
"Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction." - John F. Kennedy
Now, purpose and passion are two words that I have interchangeably used in the past, but they are different. Passion is what you enjoy doing. These are specific activities or tasks - examples being your hobbies or things like organising an event, speaking to a group of people to influence or drive a strategy, specific things that you do that you enjoy. When you are passionate about doing something, it obviously comes with its ups and downs, challenges and learning curve. I write more about passion in a previous article here.
On the other hand, purpose is more deep rooted. It's what gives you the bigger meaning and fulfilment in your life. When you know your purpose or when you discover your purpose, it is very strong and aligned usually with your values. It becomes what you want to be remembered for after as your legacy and it adds a lot of meaning to your life. When you know your true purpose and you feel strongly about it, you unlock that intrinsic motivation within yourself to keep going, so much that you don't question when things get hard or results take time because you know why you're doing it. Simply put, purpose is finding your WHY.
I love the below writing by James Clear which doesn't necessarily call out "purpose" but it's about finding that something you feel drawn towards to commit for a long time. Everything else becomes a distraction as you build the courage to say no to what were once shiny new opportunities.
To be guided by your purpose is liberating as you no longer question why you do what you do. Your focus shifts to appreciating the journey and not getting too attached to an end result as you are living a purposeful life NOW and not when you achieve that end goal!
I know it is simpler said than done. I am a fan of Simon Sinek's work and reading his book 'Start with Why' while enlightening, it didn't help me hone into my own WHY. It can take years, sometimes a decade to try multiple things you are passionate about which will then give you a sense of what your true purpose is. How you fulfill this purpose can be through your work, family, volunteering, social circle or a combination of them all. Self-awareness and quality time spent in reflection can help in tapping into what's most important for you in life - what's currently enabling or hindering progress towards living that purposeful life! 💫
Struggling to find your purpose?
💭 When are your core values brought to life?
💭 What is a common theme in things you enjoy doing?
💭 What is the best kind of achievement or success for you?
Hello👋🏽 Thank you for reading this far! I'm Anne, passionate about helping people grow and get addicted to living outside their comfort zone for what matters to them. I do this through coaching, sharing thoughts and most importantly leading by example in my own life. 🌱
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