Buzz
One unexpected aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic is the chance it gives us to reflect on our future. Perhaps you've lost your job and are thinking about what other types of work might bring you more fulfillment. Or maybe you're working more than ever and wondering if this is how you want to spend your life.
While it may not always be possible—or even advisable—to simply "follow your passion" in finding a career, it's important to explore what gives you meaning and purpose. This might not result in a career revelation, but it could guide you toward infusing your life (including your work) with greater significance. Here are two key questions to help you uncover what drives you.
Steps to discover meaning and purpose in your life.
The questions come from Cleo Wade, a community leader, TED speaker, and author of works like Heart Talk: The Journal: 52 Weeks of Self-Love, Self-Care, and Self-Discovery. You can find them in a post that's part of TED's "How to Be a Better Human" series.
Wade emphasizes that, despite the societal pressure, we shouldn’t feel forced to identify a single “passion” to give our lives purpose. As she puts it, "We are all such multilayered beings with an abundance of gifts, talents, interests, and ideas." Why limit ourselves to one thing?
Wade also notes that our passions may evolve throughout our lives, which is completely natural. Trying to focus on just one passion can often feel untrue to ourselves and cause unnecessary stress. Instead, she recommends bringing passion and purpose to everything we do, beginning with these two essential questions:
What type of kindness, care, joy, and patience must I embrace in order to bring purpose and passion to my relationship with myself and others around me?
What level of openness and curiosity must I cultivate in order to bring meaning to the jobs and tasks in my life (even, or especially, the ones that don’t immediately excite me)?
Once you gain a clearer understanding of how you want to approach life, you can begin applying this mindset in your work, home, and social interactions.
