2011 is slowly coming to a close and with it another opportunity to reflect and celebrate accomplishments, new memories, and think of the year to come. In parallel to this reflection, however, many people struggle with finding purpose. Hectic schedules and competing priorities can make it difficult to develop a sense of the true meaning of life’s events when we are constantly put through mechanical processes and check-the-box activities that seem operational rather than enriching.
At work, this sense of detachment can become more pronounced and lead to lack of engagement. The link between your values, what you find meaningful, and the work that you do every day can be a powerful motivator if aligned but a huge deficit if unclear. Connection to your work through what you do and who you do it with is a vital extension of how you form your identity and build a meaningful and satisfying career.
I had a chance to speak with Gwyneth Anne Freedman, a certified Career and Life Coach and owner of San Jose based, Personal Journey Coaching. She shared with me her thoughts on how individuals can build more connection into their work life and kick off 2012 with a more powerful purpose.
Gwyneth Anne, let’s start with the basics – what does it mean to have connection?
What I find is that my clients need several things in order to feel really connected to their work. They need to feel safe with their work colleagues, treated with common courtesy, and feel that their contributions are valued and appreciated. That’s at the basic level.
When the basics are covered, what really has them (all of us!) feeling connected at work?
When what they do and how they contribute expresses and reflects their personal values, they feel passionate and interested in their activities. The icing on the cake is when they feel that they have a personal as well as professional connection with their colleagues and manager. They feel part of a team, and that everyone is working together towards a common mission built on shared values.
It’s easy to get into a routine and go through life without looking for opportunities to increase our sense of meaning in our work experience. An important first step, which is perfect to do heading into 2012 is to step back and reflect:
What are your current interests?
What do you find captivating?
What are your top five values and how do you express them in your day-to-day work life?
What one or two shifts in perspective would enable you to see more of your values represented at work which would result in greater satisfaction and happiness?
Gwyneth Anne is it possible to aggregate these reflections into something concrete like an action plan?
Yes absolutely - create a list of goals for the year that when accomplished, would have you feel on track with your bigger career and life goals. This exercise is best done over time, spending a few minutes writing down every goal that comes to mind. Then set it aside. If something pops into mind, add it to your list. Come back to the list once or twice a day for the next week and see what else you’d like to add / modify / upgrade on your list.
Thank you Gwyneth Anne - all great guidance. Connection in our life is an important aspect of why we exist. Feeling confused, unfulfilled or distracted because we are not connected impacts our relationships with others and depletes our meaning. This void is what leads to feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, confusion, and bad judgment. So it only makes sense when you evaluate how 2012 can become a powerful year of change for you - focus on those connections that will give you the most positive energy and encouragement.
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