In the Workplace, finding purpose isn't ONE thing, it's EVERYTHING!
“The Great Resignation”
You may have heard this being discussed in the media – The Great Resignation describes the large numbers of adults leaving their roles, many leaving the workforce altogether, as the working environment and the impact of COVID-19 gets people rethinking their lives.
It got me thinking about the huge number of parents that I meet, when working with their young adults in their career exploration, who tell me that they find their current work makes them miserable.
“I’m still trying to work out what to do when I grow up!” these parents often say with a smile, but they mean it, and my heart goes out to them. Dragging your butt to the office (or the dining table during lockdown) every day to do work that depletes you, must be soul-destroying.
They are miserable because they picked a career based on what they were good at, in high school, or what was available, or what they thought would pay well, or what their parents/society expected them to do.
But these decisions aren’t sustainable over your career life – hence the crisis they experience at around 50 years old.
When you find work that gives you purpose and aligns with your interests (not your abilities), THAT’S when your work lights you up, energises you, and brings you meaning, joy and money.
The truth is, something tends to happen to us when we reach adulthood – we get lulled into the belief that living as your true self is less important than following the ideas that OTHERS have for our lives.
As a result, creators stop creating, performers stop taking centre stage, nurturers stop giving care, advocates stop championing, and we walk away from ourselves.
They end up living in a haze, as they have stepped away from their essential nature.
It’s a slow, unwitting surrender until one day, years down the road, we find ourselves empty and feel separated from ourselves. We’ve lost ourselves, and when life gets harder, like now, we feel it even more. We cope by wrapping an invisible cloak of dysfunction around us, as we try to make this a new normal.
This crisis of meaning doesn’t have to be the destination that our young adults face, when they get to their 40s and 50s. I’m changing this now, upstream, rather than pulling them out of the river years later.
We need to go back to honouring, and then building on, the things that spark each of us at work.
I’m advocating for doing the work of exploring career options – most young adults and their parents spend less time exploring career options than planning their 21st birthday party!
My message to you is simple – it’s not selfish or shallow to make clear, personalised and empowering decisions about career and study options. I want every young adult to come alive when exploring their future, feel sparked to dive deep into a field of study and step into their uniqueness!
Inspired to make a change for your young adult? Let’s honour who THEY are, now.
Book the free Discovery Call here – your young adult will thank you now, AND many years later!
Thanks for reading!
Tracey Beard, Chief Encouragement Officer
Want more tips and tools to help your young adult explore their career options and get excited about their future? I might even challenge YOU, as a parent, to think about YOUR career differently!
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