How often do you think “What is my purpose, what have I come here to do?

Sometimes, you just don’t have time to think about it, consumed in your overwhelming daily stress. And then, you either break down, or you get fired, or something else takes you out of your grind to give you space. Space to think about your purpose. When was the last time this happened to you?

I didn’t think too much about my purpose when I had my corporate job in Strategy. I was happy I could put “Group Strategy” on my CV, it gave me some sort of status. But did it give me satisfaction? At times it did. But often I felt underutilized: Like a rose people looked at but no bee wanted to smell. I always felt I had much more to give, I was so colorful, so full of life and ideas, so diverse in my interests.

Do you recognize any of that in you? Most women in corporate careers feel they are underutilized. After all, it’s hard to fit in a corporate job that makes use of ALL your skills and interests.
What do you do when such thoughts catch you? Do you go to an astrologer to tell you what you are supposed to do? Do you go to a psychologist, or to a career coach? I am suggesting it because I certainly did that. Then added a ton of online trainings on top to help me put it all together.

The results of my consultations gave me momentary answers. For a few months I thought I finally had discovered my purpose. Until I got another drift, a second idea, a better revelation! Over and over again. How often have you rethought your purpose?
At the moment, I’ve come to think purpose is not a fixed value. At times in your life you may want to contribute to cleaning the ocean, at another time, you may want to teach people how to sell. Ten years later you may want to only write Blogs on parenting.

I agree, a sense of purpose gives you drive and creativity to succeed. By all means! But, especially as a woman, priorities change. Often career is replaced by motherhood, at least for a while. And this is also the right moment for women to stop, breathe and contemplate on what their purpose is. A change in priorities may also instigate a change in purpose. In the end, what is purpose exactly?

To me, it is something that I enjoy doing, I can do well, or can learn to do well easily. It is something that is in line with my values. My point is, there may be multiple things that fit this description at different points in your life. If we are “different people” as we learn and grow, then it only makes sense that we allow for our purpose to take a different natural course.

And, please don’t let yourself feel guilt, nor shame that you have not discovered your purpose yet. Because, as long as you are enjoying what you are doing, you are most probably living your purpose RIGHT NOW. The rest is just outer noise: People telling you what you should do to be special, to be different, to be successful.

You are all that already, because your own definitions, and your own measures are what matter.