It’s hard to believe that we have entered a new decade. Over the last week, we have enjoyed spending quality time with family and reflecting about what went right over the last ten years and what have been some opportunities. Are you excited about what you are doing professionally? Do you believe that you are currently walking in your purpose? According to the 2018 Gallup poll, 53% of US employees are either “not engaged” or “actively disengaged at work.” That means that one in two individuals going back to work next Monday are not excited about it. This does not mean that you should quit your job and hop into entrepreneurship. Instead, I want you to take time over the next few days before returning to work to truly reflect on what is your purpose. You are probably wondering what are the steps. Today, let’s go on this journey together.
Preparation
Before beginning to discover your purpose, it is critical that you prepare for this change. This means taking time to be alone and really reflect about what you truly enjoy doing. For example, you may currently have a career in finance and realize that you want to pivot to marketing. You might be an intrapreneur that is seeking the courage to transition to entrepreneurship full-time. The key is to identify what your purpose is and prepare to make a change this year. During the preparation phase, I want you to implement the following three items.
1) Block a half day to spend with yourself reflecting on what you truly enjoy doing and what you do not enjoy doing.
2) Identify your natural strengths at 16personalities.com to take a free personality assessment
3) Block the first hour of each morning to do one thing that moves you closer to your purpose
Planning
Now that you have prepared yourself mentally to pivot to your purpose, it’s time to build and execute your plan.
1) Write out three small goals that you can achieve this month. If you are looking to pivot to a different department within your organization, this can be as simple as setting up an informational interview with someone currently working in your dream job! For intrapreneurs looking to pivot to starting your own business, interview a successful founder by taking them out for a coffee break.
2) Create a vision board
3) Write out a 90 Day Plan
Patience
You are probably very excited now. You have gone through preparation, written out a plan and began to implement the plan. The key now is to be patient. Most people stop with pivoting to their purpose because of this phase. Nothing great is achieved overnight. You must be patient. The fact is that now that you know your purpose and put a plan in place, there will be obstacles that come against you. You have to decide how to respond. Will you throw in the towel at the first sign of adversity or will your persevere? The fact is that most people will give up in this stage. At the first sign of opposition, the individual decides that the life that they are living is good enough and that it is acceptable for the next ten years to be the same as the previous ten years. The fact that you are still reading this article is a good sign that you are determined to not let this be you. Integrate the three items below into your routine.
1) Celebrate small wins
2) Don’t fall into the ‘comparison trap’ – Compete with yourself
3) Don’t give up prematurely!
Peace
The ultimate goal of pivoting to your purpose is to live a life of peace. When I decided to walk into my purpose and transition out of my corporate career to being a full-time entrepreneur, I never felt more at peace. This does not mean that I don’t face challenges as an entrepreneur, but those challenges are worth it to me because our team is having a major impact with the work that we are leading. I challenge you to pivot into your purpose beginning today with the four Ps that I have laid out. Whether you pivot inside of Corporate America or pivot outside of Corporate America, the decision is completely a personal one that only you can answer. They key is to not let your last decade be the same as this beautiful new decade.
For 2020, our organization will be working with individuals and organizations that are ready to make sure that this decade is focused on pivoting to your purpose. We invite you to partner with us by completing the survey at the following link: bit.ly/2ZJYhDz
Cheers to an amazing new decade! Are you ready to pivot to your purpose? We look forward to seeing you beginning 2020 with a new focus and implementing the four Ps of planning, preparing, practicing patience, and enjoying your new found peace!
Learn more about our organization at monicamotivates.com