MM: Finding Purpose in Your Work

07/11/16

As of this month, there are about 123 million people employed full-time in the United States. How many of these people do you suppose got up this morning and wanted to go to work? And how many were so excited to go to work that they couldn’t sleep the night before?

The Labor Department doesn’t exactly provide statistics on just how thrilled everyone is with their job, and mere “job satisfaction” is not what I’m talking about here. If you’re not loving what you do, it’s not the time to quit; it’s time to start.

“Start what?!,” you ask, “I’ve been working my whole life and I’m tired of it!” I hear you; I’ve been there. But let me tell you a story about a young boy who started finding his purpose by exploring a simple talent that changed his life.

Steve Morris was born six weeks premature and blind. His mother worked tirelessly at a fish company while Steve went to grade school. One afternoon, Steve’s teacher was struggling to find a little mouse that had slinked its way into the classroom and was causing a bit of a disturbance. No one could see it, but they all knew it was there. When Steve’s teacher asked him to help “look” for the mouse, Steve went to work. Through the darkness that nature had left him in, Steve discovered an exceptional ability to hear. As a hush fell over the classroom, all eyes were on little Steve as he pointed to the mouse that no one else could see. It was a moment that Steve would remember for the rest of his life. Finding purpose in your work is really about finding purpose in your life. (Just a reminder, you only get one.)

Steve was unremarkable in many ways, as we all are, but he realized a gift and ran with it. Every single one of us has a gift that if exercised can brighten a room and change a life. Whether it’s extraordinary business acumen, mathematical genius, or simply a compassionate disposition, we should discover our gift and imbue it with purpose. We should take pride in it. Steve did. Not too long after wowing that classroom he went on to wow millions the world over. He has since amassed 25 Grammy Awards and sold over 100 million records. You might know him better by his stage name, “Stevie Wonder.”

So whenever it feels like just another manic Monday, remember the sunshine in your life and share it with those around you.

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