Are you serving a purpose within your career?
What purpose are you serving in your professional life? Have you taken a moment to pause, and reflect on the work you do? Is it meaningful? Impactful? Purpose-driven? Are you happy?
There is no better time to reflect than now.
What I have learned is that we can take on more if there is a purpose to serve in which we believe, genuinely believe, where the impact is for the greater good. If we are doing something for someone we love, then we can take on more. The truth is, when we can perform work with the conviction that what we do matters, what we are doing serves a greater purpose, then we can live fiercely. There must be a reason to continue to move forward; otherwise, the drive or motivation will not be present.
So many of us believe that happiness equates to success, which is truly an illusion. Albert Schweitzer said, “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” Schweitzer became particularly famous for giving benefit concerts and lectures in Europe as a means of fundraising for his hospital in Africa. His philosophy was built upon the principle of a “reverence for life” and the religious and ethical imperatives of helping others.
The illusion of success is not only connected to investments, income, etc., rather also to achievements such as earning a promotion or obtaining a goal of graduating college, and so forth. Material gratification, large homes, cars and so much more are all external, whereas happiness comes from within. Success comes from earning money, meeting deadlines, accomplishing goals, recognitions, and so forth. Happiness is a feeling of self-worth, doing good for others, being a servant leader, making the world a better place, strong relationships with others, and so much more.
When we live intentionally and have a clear understanding that what we truly do matters — that is where you can find your meaning of life, which offers fulfillment in so many ways. Remember that success does not guarantee happiness. At the same time, happiness does not necessarily mean there is success. The two do not go together.
What is Your Why?
A question that is asked so often is what is your why? Eric Thomas, Motivational Speaker, stated, “When you find your why, you find a way to make it happen.” To truly live with intention, we must first understand the true meaning of our why, which is behind the want. Be honest about what your intention is. Is it material attainment or happiness? Ultimately, you may find that what you’re searching for is an internal feeling; rather, it could very well be you are envious of someone or something — ask yourself why do you have envy? Really dive deep into your why’s and you will discover your true intention for what you are doing or seeking to do.
The clearness of your intention is not at all tied to the career you choose, rather that you are in. A teacher can demand for you to not talk while in class, showcasing power or that same teacher can show similar compassion a parent/caregiver would have when guiding a child to not touch a hot burner on the stove. You can be a receptionist and have a kind and friendly demeanor while offering directions of how to get to an office for a meeting. Regardless, if our intentions are of spite or self-motivated, an ugly side begins to creep in. This usually stems from ego, self-righteousness, pride, etc. This will never amount to anything wonderful.
There will be others who do not see what is within you, there will be many who do. If you know and truly believe the work you do is meaningful, purpose-driven, and your heart is all the way in, you’ll never go wrong. When your intentions are good, and tied to the right goals, you will always have an outcome of happiness.
There are so many people across the globe who want to work for organizations whose missions and values truly resonate with them, intellectually and emotionally. Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D. and Forbes Council Member stated, “Increasingly, employees are seeking enhanced meaning and purpose in their work and the opportunity to impact the broader society in positive ways. To accomplish this, leaders need to pay attention…they need to look for opportunities to more tightly align organizational strategy with a purpose-driven organizational culture.”
Purpose-Driven at Givelify
Throughout this journey, we’ve listened to our giving community with open hearts. We’ve seen how a tool, Givelify’s giving app, has removed barriers to giving. We are witness to our giving partners, the organizations and their leaders, championing causes in their communities and around the world.
Our key success factors include Integrity (our non-negotiable), Heart & Simplicity (for what we want to be known), and Wow (our differentiator). Our culture is truly unique, very rich, and kindly powerful. We are humbled servant leaders working together changing the world with kindness and generosity, one joyful gift at a time.
As the Talent Acquisition Manager at Givelify, the leading online and mobile giving platform, I’ve noticed how individuals that are seeking to do meaningful, impactful, and purpose-driven work are drawn to our mission and values. As a Fintech-for-Good company, we are constantly striving to put more good into the world with our products and services. Our cross-functional environment enables teams across the organization to work together towards a mission that is bigger than us. Ultimately, at the center of all we do is our customers.
I see how, from our Founder and CEO, our Customer Support team, our Product and Design team, to our Engineers — how everyone is united together in living our mission to instantly connect people to causes that matter most to them so they can change their world with kindness and generosity. Founded in 2013 on a belief that we all have an innate desire to do more good and an understanding that technology could make it easy to practice generosity is still our driving force.
The joy I’ve personally experienced when I hear stories of how organizations, with the support of their givers, are making a real difference in their communities motivates me and encourages me to want to do more. Just recently a donor, Janis H., shared with us how the recent and tragic tornadoes moved her:
“I used this app to give to a church in Kentucky for those who were devastated in the tornadoes over this last weekend. I don’t live in Kentucky, but this made it real easy to get the donation quickly to where it can do the most good. Thank you.”
This is powerful. And just one of many countless stories of good of the more than 1 million donors and 55,000 organizations in our giving community that we humbly serve.
Without a doubt, I can say I fall in the category of purpose-driven individuals. My work excites me, and I want to see our organization continue to grow with the world’s top performers who want to be a part of something bigger than a bottom line. If you too are purpose-driven, a collaborator interested in working in an Agile environment where you can count on your team as a resource, Givelify has a place for you. If you want to spread kindness and do more good, have a high regard for other peoples’ cultures and beliefs, Givelify could be your next home.
What is your intention? Is it aligned with your wants? What is your why? If you’re finding yourself missing something in the work you perform, it may just be purpose. Remember, when we can perform work with the conviction that what we do matters, what we are doing serves a greater purpose, we can then live fiercely. Come live fiercely with us!