Kelly Kaplon

Last year I attended a career coaching workshop delivered by Jacquie Wise http://www.wiseways.com.au/meet_jacquie_main.htm titled ‘Quest for Meaning’. The topic piqued my interest, as over my career as a Career Coach the majority of my clients have come along (be it consciously or unconsciously) seeking to find meaning in their work. This is not the case for everyone, though I do believe increasingly people are seeking more from their work life, beyond the usual trimmings of a great salary, position title, perks and so on.

Today we tend to be more self aware of what we are good at, what we want to be good, our personal values, what constitutes a good employer, how much of challenge we want from work and so on. In the workshop Jaquie spoke about the ideal ‘life split’ being 1/3 work, 1/3 sleep and 1/3 leisure – something for us all to keep in mind to follow! This led on to the topic of the ‘four purposes’ in life that we seek, be it in our work life or life in general. I am sure if you think about them, one or all will resonate.

In the work context, meaning comes from being able to articulate what our purpose/s is around the following areas:

1) To Learn (in all senses of the word)

2) To Teach (be it formally or informally)

3) To Accomplish or Contribute (both are equally important)

4) To Be (in regards to being authentic to your true self)

I would encourage you to think about what is important to you and what really drives you. Write down your responses and spend some time reflecting on these areas. You will be surprised how just by thinking about your Purpose the focus and possibilities this will open up. Should you wish to explore this further I recommend that you purchase some relevant career related books or look to speak with a career coach. In Australia you can visit the Career Development Association of Australian http://www.cdaa.org.au/