Five steps to finding purpose in your work

Five steps to finding purpose in your work There are millions of self-help posts about finding a sense of purpose at work. Most of them talk about the influence that purpose can have on one’s health, motivation, and job satisfaction. Some articles try to advise you on how to find true meaning and purpose, but once you start applying their techniques, you realize that they’re not very realistic. That’s because most posts discuss the philosophical notions of self-esteem, self-confidence, purposeful life, and meaningful existence, but they fail on providing any concrete advice on how to achieve anything real.A couple of years ago, when I was trying to find purpose in my work by connecting with organizations, I stumbled upon â€Å"Teach Me the Art of Small Steps† by Antoine de Saint-Exupà ©ry. The French author wrote it during a challenging period and it spoke to a lot of my own struggles. So I decided to apply the â€Å"art of small steps† to finding purpose in my everyday work. Guess what? It worked. And here is how.1. Think smallSounds counterintuitive I know, but hear me out. I always assumed that your life’s purpose should be ground-breaking - it should change the world and humanity. I missed the fact that purpose could be found in things like helping your coworker with a project, providing professional advice to your intern or keeping your colleagues level-headed during a stressful time.We always think of purpose as something vague and unattainable, but once we change our attitude towards it, it becomes entirely possible to find purpose in everyday tasks. Instead of setting ambitious goals all at once, try setting smaller goals one day at a time. Chipping away at smaller goals every day will allow you to feel more impactful.2. It’s about the journey, not the destinationA lot of people think that purpose is a destination. We get there, we change, we order a glass of rosà ©, and we chill. If this way of thinking applies to you, it is time for a persona l paradigm shift. Purpose is about the journey; where all the small steps that we make bring us one step closer to realizing our true passions.Once you’ve reached this proverbial â€Å"destination†, suddenly you lose interest. The journey is about discovering ourselves, discovering others and discovering life happening right in front of us. And remember that you are not alone in your quest (only 34% of US workers feel engaged at work).Finding purpose in your work is not going to happen overnight. It might take a couple of years. What matters most is for you to enjoy your every day and think of life as a journey.3. Play to your strengthsMost people who are having a hard time finding purpose in their work start to fix their weaknesses, as if that’s where the problem lies. Recent studies show that people who know and use their strengths are more likely to find purpose in what they do and are usually more satisfied with their work.This idea doesn’t mean ignor ing your weaknesses – it only suggests to first know your strengths and utilize them first. I used HIGH5, a strengths finder that helped me explore my top five strengths and the ways to effectively use them at work.1 in every 3 individuals can’t accurately name their strengths, so feel free to enlist the help of friends and family to pinpoint your best attributes. Once you start using your strengths, you will increase your confidence and be more likely to find purpose in your work.4. Stop thinking of purpose as a luxuryMany people think that purpose is a luxury that requires a lot of resources. This is one of the main reasons why people never succeed in finding purpose. If you think of something as being luxurious and reserved to a small group of people, you start to alienate yourself from the idea that it’s accessible to you. This makes it easier to lose motivation to even pursue purpose.Understanding that finding purpose does not require a lot of resources wil l help you find it more easily.Simplify it. Think of it as an artless act. Give it two minutes every day, and you will see that anyone can achieve personal success.5. Match purpose with meaningYou will find purpose way easier if you match it with meaning. Ask yourself what you value most. Is it empathy? Is it collaboration? Maybe positive change?Let’s say you value collaboration. Then try to find ways to collaborate more with your colleagues, other departments, or your clients. If you do something that holds meaning, it will undoubtedly light a fire in your belly and add meaning to your work.The desire for purposeful work is a modern human need. It’s a continuous journey of finding what you like and applying it to your work by taking small steps every day. Once you discover your purpose, you’ll find the motivation needed to succeed in your everyday life.About the author:Anatoli Chernyaev is a content marketing manager born in Armenia and currently residing in Ly on, France. He writes about various topics such as self-awareness, positive thinking, personal development, and career advice.

Writing skills for nursing students, Nursing Standard - Emphasis

Writing skills for nursing students, Nursing Standard Writing skills for nursing students, Nursing Standard As the adage goes, anything worth having is worth fighting for. But it can be a rude awakening if youve signed onto a nursing degree course and now find your passion for helping people buried under a pile of essays and assignments. Theres no doubt that a degree is great preparation for the challenging career you have ahead of you. But turning complex scientific information into concise writing is not always easy. It can seem like a losing battle especially if you havent been shown how. The secret is to learn how to communicate your ideas and arguments clearly. This can boost your understanding of the clinical material, enabling you to put your people know-how into context. Here are five ways to lay the foundations for writing success. Clarify your main message Before you begin writing, its vital that you know what you really want to say. Answering the questions: What?, Where?, When?, How?, Why? and Who? can help you to organise your ideas. Focus on your reader Your reader is likely to be your university lecturer, who should already be very knowledgeable about the topics you write about. So focus on exactly what they need for each particular assignment. For instance, if your task is to evaluate a variety of health-promotion models, focus on what is most important about each model and write about that first. This will show that you are able to reach a clear conclusion from your research. You can then demonstrate your evaluation skills by expanding on each of your key messages. Keep it short and sweet A survey by Harvard professor D.H. Menzel showed that in technical papers, people find sentences difficult to understand when they are longer than 34 words. So make things easier for your reader by keeping your sentences between 15 and 20 words. One idea, one sentence Consider this sentence: Nurses play an important role in the delivery of healthcare yet some are concerned that they need more autonomy in their work. This actually contains two separate (but linked) ideas, so it would be more helpful to the reader to split the sentence up: Nurses play an important role in the delivery of healthcare. Yet some experts are concerned that they need more autonomy in their work. Splitting up your ideas in this way will give your writing clarity. Use the active voice Traditionally, academic writing uses the passive voice to appear objective and scientific. But the active voice adds movement to your writing and its still scientifically sound. So instead of writing Leadership styles have been investigated by Zane and Prestipino (2004), write Zane and Prestipino (2004) investigated leadership styles. Academic writing doesnt have to be stilted, wordy and difficult to decipher. Practise these techniques and your writing will demonstrate your passion for nursing. Next month, well look at the ins and outs of essay writing. Well also give you some top tips for breaking writers block. Robert Ashton is Chief Executive of Emphasis. Want to write better documents? See our courses for individuals or our courses for groups. Alternatively, send us a message or call one of our friendly advisors on +44 (0)1273 961 810