Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
~ Howard Thurman ~
Who remembers “The Game of Life?” As a kid, it was one of my favorite games. One of the cool things it had was a spinner wheel that told you how fast you could drive your car. It simulated a person’s travels through life. Along the way you had to make split decisions like college or career, married or single, kids or no kids, buying insurance or not, etc.
You got to pretend you were an adult while you were a kid. However, I think this game pretty much messed me up as an adult. ::giggle:: Seriously though, it gave me a warped view of the world, one in which there were a bunch of “supposed to’s” in life. You’re supposed to get good grades, get into a great college, land a fantastic job, get married, have kids, buy a house, sell that house, invest, and then retire … the end.
Hmmmm, is that what ‘Life’ is all about?
For those already living a wholehearted life, they would say it takes developing passions and meaningful work to fully live “life”. They believe if you squander your gifts and talents (and we all have them, contrary to personal belief), it can bring us distress.
What is Meaningful Work?
This question could be answered in many different ways depending on who you ask.
For me, watching people discover and empower themselves, finding their own answers to plaguing questions is meaningful work.
For someone else, it might be a humanitarian cause that serves the population such as clean water.
Or, it might be an entrepreneur, being your own boss and making all the decisions.
Meaningful work could be parenting, teaching, plumbing.
The work itself may not be what provides meaning, but what it provides for the family.
Whatever the definition, the research results indicate people who believe they are doing meaningful work are happier, more committed, and in turn, better workers.
What is important is to identify and learn for yourself what constitutes meaningful work.
Discovering your Gifts and Talents?
Those who live a wholehearted life believe fostering your gifts and talents adds richness and purpose. Asking someone to identify and name their strengths often leads to a couple different results. Some can easily rattle off a list, while others say they have nothing. In the past, I was one of the latter — ask me what my strengths are, and I would usually deflect (and quite well, which is a talent, I guess? Ha!).
Recently, in my entrepreneurial support group, we were given an assignment that made me uncomfortable. I was asked to name my “superpower.” I couldn’t. I was not alone as this assignment challenged most of the group. The assignment’s next part was to ask a few friends, family and clients what they considered my superpower to be. The answers were a little overwhelming and very humbling.
When we discover our passions, gifts and talents, define what meaningful work looks like for us, we will be better equipped to express ourselves creatively.
In my brand-new forthcoming coaching program (to be released first quarter of 2019), exercises and activities will help participants unearth their gifts and talents, discover their personal definition of meaningful work and to incorporate them to live wholeheartedly.
Until then, please use the following journal prompt below. If you feel like sharing, you can do so in the comment section below.
Journal Prompt:
- Meaningful work to me is . . .
- Gifts and talents I have are . . .
My thanks to Brené Brown for her extensive research on the topic of what it means to be wholehearted via her book The Gifts of Imperfection. I am using her research as a guide to further my passion to help others discover their own authenticity and embrace their own third act of life.
Note: This is the ninth article of ten in describing Wholehearted Living. You can find the first article “Cultivate Authenticity” here … the second “Cultivate Self-Compassion” here … the third “Cultivating a Resilient Spirit” here … the fourth “Cultivating Joy and Gratitude” here … the fifth “Cultivating Intuition” here … the sixth “Cultivating Creativity” here … the seventh “Cultivating Play and Rest” here, the eighth “Cultivating Calm” here.