A recent client of mine gave permission to share her experience of how she went from frustrated and disengaged to flourishing and fully engaged in her work. While Beth’s story is unique to her, it demonstrates the power of a personal purpose statement to bring back personal energy and passion.
Beth came into our sessions guarded and generally skeptical. She wasn’t sure what she needed and was uncomfortable asking for help. Hiring a coach was a big step for her.
Beth had always been a high performer, taking the reigns to move her projects forward. She prided herself in her ability to achieve the goals she was given, especially in high-pressure situations. She had been recognized and promoted multiple times, with an ever-increasing workload. Whereas she had previously succeeded in these conditions, she now found herself more tired, less fulfilled, and missing little details she wouldn’t have normally missed.
On the surface, she was an effective employee with a stable job at a respected company, with great benefits and a good future. On the inside, she was more and more disengaged, to the point she could no longer see a future of her doing what she was doing for the next 20 years. The thought of changing jobs triggered fear and uncertainty, so it felt easier to “stick it out” and “hope for the best.” She came to dread Sunday nights.
I took Beth through an activity to create her personal purpose statement. A personal purpose statement is a single sentence that includes up to three verbs (action words), up to three values (what you want more of in the world,) and one or two causes (people or groups you’d most want to help.)
Beth took the activity seriously and spent a lot of time working through her words. The words she chose were very personal to her, which gave us both insights on the work/environment in which she would thrive the most.
Beth’s purpose:
“To educate, activate and inspire authenticity and courage for those ready to explore a wholehearted life, aligned to their values.”
She smiled each time she said it.
Then I asked, “How much of your current job aligns to your purpose statement?”
She answered, “Less than 30%. I spend most my day activating, but it’s on projects that have to do more with products and processes rather than people and purpose. No wonder I’m so disengaged. The role used to be more aligned with what I’m passionate about, but things have changed over the years.”
As we continued to explore ways Beth could align more with her purpose, both on and off the job, her energy and passion returned. So much so, she invested her personal time and money into becoming a certified life coach, and eventually left her corporate job behind. She now spends time with those ready to explore a wholehearted life, personally knowing it’s possible if you’re ready to go beyond fear.
If you haven't yet guessed, Beth is me, though I've observed similar positive results with my clients!
Join us for the Level Up session on July 29th, where I’ll walk you through a sample activity for creating YOUR personal purpose statement. While you may not end up leaving your current role, where could having more energy and passion benefit you today? Let’s find out.
I’d welcome a conversation with you as you get clear on your next step. Barb@CiLifeCoach.com
