How to Meaning-ify Your Life and Work

Connection to purpose is key.

Hello My Friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving in whatever way that looked and felt nourishing for you.

Over here we are enjoying having a reprieve from middle school homework and are loving just hanging out with friends and family engaging in holiday-ish things such as ice skating, family movies, sporting events and visiting Roger’s Garden.

Like bringing forth our children and ourselves, it feels natural to also consider bringing forth the professional side of our lives. I believe that in all structures, business as well as family, the vibe and values cascade from the top down. The c-suite, managers, and parents alike drive the health and ethos of their respective spaces.

Today’s piece touches on the importance of, not only our personal life being purposeful, but also our work life.

As always, I love hearing from you, so please leave me a comment and I’ll get right back to you.

xoxo - WRW

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Dear Circle,

Why do I do this? Write.

Is writing something I do, or who I am? A writer.

Am I a writer, or is writing my means to activate a different identity that lies more at the core of what I do, who I am or who I want to be one day? A parent. A philosopher. A change agent. A TED speaker.

I ponder these questions even though they can feel uncomfortable, perhaps even tedious at times. As if I am starting once again at unearthing who I am, what is my purpose, my gift, my legacy, my life goals.

Why do I make the silent commitment to myself to plant the seeds with my children that the happiness and satisfaction I want so much for them, and that they too want, is derived primarily from having great relationships and from fulfilling their life’s purpose?

Why am I so focused on coming back to “our people” and our purpose?

For, it is exactly this type of exercise that hones the essence of our life.

Because having clarity on what we are here to do with our life, and who we are doing it with and for, is part and parcel to having deep and lasting happiness. Which is ultimately what we all want for our children and ourselves, no? To live a life of connection in which we give our special gifts to the world, making it the better for it.

“As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has — or ever will have — something inside that is unique to all time. It's our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression." ~ Mister Fred Rogers

Many believe that purpose arises from our gifts and sets us apart from other people. And this is true. But that’s only part of the truth. Our purpose also grows from our connection to others.

People can inspire, ignite and bring forth our purpose. With the birth of my first child, and again with my second, it was crystal clear — Baccarat clear — that one of my truest purposes of my life was to be their mother. To do the absolute best I could do in this role. To be conscious, intentional, and work at it. To study. To specialize. And that my singular life experience, coupled with my commitment to transmute the trauma and challenges of my upbringing, was the keystone from which this purpose was ultimately possible. That is to say, my personal (her)story, and all of its anguish plus all of its beauty, led to the gift of my calling, my purpose. A full circle journey distinct only to me.

We also often discover a deep sense of personal purpose while working together with others in pursuit of grander goals. Working the phone lines for a political candidate, volunteering at our children’s school, participating in furthering causes that are important to us, are all places where we align our efforts with others in service to a larger mission. Our purpose often spawns out of these deep and meaningful connections formed while traversing the same path, overcoming obstacles, celebrating wins and finding support through setbacks or disappointments.

Relationships and purpose are two sides of the same coin.

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Since our purpose not only grows from our unique gifts but also from our connection to others, often a crisis of purpose is in fact a symptom of isolation, a symptom of disconnection. And many in this country, especially Millennials and Generation Z, are experiencing a crisis of isolation, of disconnection and therefore perhaps purpose.

Why is this? What has shifted? What has changed? How can we help our own children avoid this future fate?

One area that we as a culture, historically and to this day, spend an exorbitant amount of our life’s energy and focus upon, is our career. What is different today, however, is that the younger generations demand to feel meaning within their work. They want to spend their day doing something that they believe in. That doesn’t mean the job itself has to be sexy. But it does mean that their contribution has to be valuable and that they know and they can feel how they are helping the company achieve its goals; how they are an integral part of the whole. And if they don’t believe their contribution is worthwhile and impactful to the company and the larger team, then they check out via quiet quitting or outright quitting.

This is a significant shift. One that has many Gen X and Baby Boomer business leaders and managers scratching their heads. They are struggling to relate. Because when those of us 43 and older first entered the work place as the youngest, we just did what our job description and our managers told us to do. We could feel miserable, yet we worked overtime, on salary, around the clock so to speak. We didn’t think otherwise. We sufficed to find meaning outside of our work hours. That was “the way” back then and we didn’t question it. We were “putting in our dues” or “making a living.”

Millennials and Gen Zers need to feel that their work is connected and impactful to furthering company goals. Their work then becomes purposeful. This is key.

That work ethos, with the younger generations particularly, does not exist much anymore. Those corporate expectations no longer fly. That culture is precisely a driver of the disconnection and isolation the younger workforce is experiencing and rebelling against. This is not a bad thing. Career satisfaction and productivity is impacted positively when we have people who can really feel the value that they are adding by doing meaningful work collectively with their colleagues.

“Employees not feeling that their work has any purpose or direction is one of the key drivers of quiet quitting.”

And it is leaderships’ responsibility to understand this shift in the needs of the younger workforce and to evolve. One of the most effective ways to do so, is to create a company culture where every employee understands the reasons behind their role. Leaders need to engage with and communicate to their employees that they are an integral part of the team and how their particular role and work is making a meaningful difference, thereby connecting them to the aim of the company, to their colleagues and to their professional purpose.

People want to feel meaning. It’s that simple. It’s that fundamental.

Until next time, let’s make sure we’re meaning-ify our lives, and if we manage others, including our children, let’s help meaning-ify theirs too.

xoxo, WRW

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