It doesn’t have to be a major movement, like #blacklivesmatter. Your purpose has to be your own, however small or grand. The scope of what you’re doing isn’t important – the importance of what you’re doing is.Â
Over the years, there have been several mentees who have come to me as their mentor, asking for coaching tips and guidance on leadership. Most often, they’ve come to me asking simply for support and encouragement. Sometimes, a compassionate ear and the willingness to carve time out of your day for someone else’s needs is what they need most. It’s on those days that I feel most fulfilled and deeply connected to my purpose.
Finding Fulfillment: When Passion Meets Purpose
Magic happens when your passion meets your purpose.
Growing up, I didn’t have all that figured out. Hell, at age [insert scary number here – how did that happen?!] there are still days when I’m not sure that I’ve figured it out. Yet. But, with each day that goes by, I know that I’m closer than ever.
I reflect back on my career with thoughtful introspection and the kind of intense analysis that you would expect from someone like me who’s earned a few degrees in technical fields. Alas, I am a #STEMinist and that never took any thought to figure out – I knew that I was, instinctively, from a very young age.
Throughout my life, there have been seminal moments which have shaped me personally – and professionally. Now, after careful reflection, timid at first and then voracious with a faucet-full-on mentality, I’ve come to realize a few things.
At the times that I was unhappiest, least fulfilled and most conflicted, my passion wasn’t aligned with my purpose.
It sounds simple enough, duh. People aren’t happy with their lives or themselves if they question why they’re here on Earth and what the point is of everything that they do. But it goes beyond that. Life seems pretty good, you’re rolling with it through one busy phase and chapter onto the next in swift succession with a series of joyful moments – and the occasionally low – as you move along. You barely have time to come up for air between the phases which somehow all seem to overlap anyway. We often let our work define who we are and when we become disenfranchised from it, that feeling of loss and question of self-value and self-worth manifest themselves.
And then you regroup. COVID-19 has afforded many of us an unexpected “gift” (and sheer hell for billions of us as well). Unless you’re a manufacturer of PPE, the only gift has been the gift of time. An opportunity for a pause, a brief respite to reexamine what is important to us and a chance to rethink what we want more of versus less of.
The recent movement of BLM into the forefront of our social consciousness demands equality. As it should. Beyond being long overdue and the “right” thing to rally towards, perhaps the movement has garnered more steam than ever before because so many people have been awakened – their passion has merged with their purpose. The efforts of so many and their messages have inspired me to look more closely than ever at my own actions (on multiple fronts).
The net-net? My passion and purpose are fusing more tightly than they have in a while. As a helper, I’m committed to giving my time and energy to others, underdogs in particular. The tougher the challenge, the lower the odds, the more I’m inclined to want to dive in. Head-first, of course.Â
From Social Entrepreneurism to STEERus: A Journey of Purpose and Passion
Until recently, I didn’t know that “social entrepreneurism” was a label. I know that that’s been my thing for a long time, I just didn’t know it had a name.
And that’s STEERus. Our vision is to coach the world because everyone – and we mean everyone – should have access to the tools, resources and value of coaching regardless of their economics or geography. We’re on a mission here to help YOU develop the essential soft skills, increase your productivity, and promote personal growth and professional development. And we’re looking for people who’s purpose and passion fuel them.
Contact us to learn how you can become part of our movement to democratize coaching and make it available to EVERYONE.
Thank you Nicholas Swatz from Pexels for this photo!