Take a moment...

If you commute on the New York subway, then there’s a good chance that you have seen this poem flash across the monitor as you wait on the platform. Since the first time I read this, I have found it challenging to get its message out of my head. Taking a moment in the day to pause, reflect, and to just be is something that I often forget to do, but is so important. 

Work and life take on a cadence that is determined by all sorts of factors. Starting school, graduation, promotions, birthdays, weddings, but at the end of the year, in particular, a lot is going on. Thanksgiving is a real marker in the year and a time that you are meant to spend with loved ones and reflect on what you’re grateful for. This Thanksgiving, I’m taking a moment to consider what it means to live a purposeful life, and how to define what purposeful work means to me.

Do I find purpose in my work? Throughout my career, I was often asked this question. The simple answer is yes. It wasn’t necessarily the impact that I was having on the broader business that was giving me purpose. It was the small things that I was doing every day. I was being helpful and creating an environment where people could really thrive. For me, this is where I have always found purpose, and my commitment to the following practices allows me to be intentional with my work daily. 

1. Recognizing that small things matter. Small acts of kindness and sincerity in your day-to-day can greatly impact you and those around you 
2. Understanding that a life of purpose is a life of learning. Particularly, learning about experiences where you can admit that you are still ignorant 
3. Knowing that my usual patterns may not lead down the right path. To make sense of it all, we rely on patterns- we frame things in a way that we are accustomed to. It’s increasingly important to realize that these same patterns may not lead to the future that you want
4. Taking a moment and consider small goals. Celebrate these along the way and allow them to guide you to victories that fill you with pride
5. Allowing yourself to be authentic. Hear and feel what other people are thinking. As a leader, use these perspectives to inform and create an environment where people can perform at their potential 

Commit to incorporating those things into your life and use your voice or whatever platform you have to do that. You don’t have to be in a leadership position or be in your dream job to feel like you can find purpose in your work. Interact with people with whom you haven’t before, share an idea that is counter traditional, and understand that just doing your job to get it done will not aid you in a search for purpose or fulfillment. 

I encourage you to take a moment and reflect not just about what you’re grateful for but also how you can be active in finding purpose in your work.