One of last week’s most emailed NY Times articles was titled, “The Secret of Effective Motivation.” It says that we are most successful, even financially, when we do what we love and are passionate about, rather than what looks good on paper. This article is like catnip to me. It confirms my belief that it is worth taking the time to find your unique set of strengths.
Getting the work blues can be quite normal. If you don’t know exactly what you want to do when you are young, the tendency is to do what looks good on paper. Work hard, make Mom and Dad proud, buy nice things. The danger as you get farther down the path, is that you are doing more and more of what does not bring you energy and less of what does.
Here’s the good news — I often tell clients that I have yet to see anyone quit a high-paying corporate job to open a B&B or teach yoga on the beach. And guess what, from a unique strengths point of view, they might not actually love those jobs either. The truth is that we are happiest when we are using our unique strengths, or what I call “Skill-based Purpose.” Not the big-picture purpose, like saving the whales, but the daily things that give us a sense of purpose. Closing a sale, finding meaning in data, connecting with people, and innovating a tried and true process are all examples of Skill-based Purpose. The more of them you do regularly, the happier you are.
A client I am working with now is at a consulting firm that specializes in optimizing websites. Using the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory, she clarified that she is highly energized by a combination of process and people. Her current job allows her to focus on process, but the focus is very technical. With a switch to consulting for service-based organizations, she can still do process, with a focus on the customer experience. I would love to go to a hotel where she has designed the customer experience!
If you feel it’s time to examine what you’ve done so far and whether there is a shift to make, consider the MBTI (my favorite book is “Please Understand Me II”) or Strengths Finder 2.0. Remember, what you do best rarely feels like work. But, to find what is hiding in plain sight, you need to make a little effort.
Stay cool!
Claire