Your ‘Why’ in a hyped-up world
As you can’t avoid ‘that’ question, “Why do you do what you do?”, it’s a good excuse to think about what your job, your business, your career, your commitment, your life means to you in a hyped-up world.
For some the meaning is deeply personal and is the driving force behind what they do. It’s that old-fashioned word ‘vocation’: the calling to do the work they are best suited to do and drawn to do by some invisible and irresistible force. (There is usually an inspirational story at the heart of this “Why”.)
It’s not easy sticking to your ‘vocation’ to improve a small slice of the world you live in when can see that the attention of investors is magnetized by the glamour and hype generated by lifestyle-driven projects. Sticking to your convictions is the big challenge when doubt and feelings of inadequacy pound you all too frequently, when the glossy once again trumps the genuine.
What do you do when doubt creeps in?
The sooner you stop looking for external recognition and attention and just claim your inner calling, the better. When you can do that it will take you to a place where the stakes are much, much higher. Even if you encounter ‘failure’ along the way, living your convictions will always take you to where you truly need to go.
And in our celebrity-obsessed world, you’ll organically connect with others along that path who are also driven to do good work and those waiting to support value-driven work like yours. Together you’ll become a powerful force for making positive change and keep you integrity.
Isn’t this a good opportunity to revisit some important questions:
- Why do you do what you do?
- What’s the inner conviction behind what drives you?
- Are you out there living it now? If not, why not?