The Top Myths About “Purpose” Stopping You From a More Fulfilling Career
“Purpose” is one of those words we hear floating around endlessly, so commonly used and yet so rarely understood. At least in the professional development space, I hear it a lot!
“I’m just trying to figure out what my purpose is…”
“I want to do more purposeful work…”
“It’s really important to me that my company I work for has a clear purpose and mission…”
Etc. etc. etc.
As a career clarity coach who works with clients to discover their deeper purpose (and in turn craft more fulfilling professional lives), I’m pretty comfortable with what purpose is/isn’t. And in my last 5+ years in business, there are 6 common myths I hear when it comes to this word. Let me break them down for you and do a little myth-busting.
Purpose is something you either have, or you don’t.
Purposeful work has to be altruistic.
Purposeful careers seldom pay well.
Wanting a purposeful career is entitled.
Having a purposeful career means that the work feels easy.
Purpose is an “answer”. Once you find it, you’re set.
Which one of the above myths stands out to you? Is there one that you’ve struggled with before? If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
In the meantime, let’s address these myths head-on… Ready for some myth-busting?
1. Purpose is something you either have, or you don’t.
This myth is especially resonant for those of you surrounded by folks who “always knew”. Perhaps your best friend grew up wanting to be a vet, your partner has always been destined to become a teacher, or your parents were determined to be doctors since they were playing with toy stethoscopes… Either way, if you’re someone who believes this myth, you probably think that there are people who have “always known”. It leads you to believe that if you’re not one of the lucky few, you’re out of luck.
In reality, because of the work that I do, I know that many of these people who have “always known” are just as stuck as you are. You may see the perfect picture on the outside, but I hear from a lot of these folks, and behind the scenes, they’re often confused about what they want to do as well! Not all, but some. It’s important not to compare our insides with someone else’s outsides. Purpose is something that can be clarified and cultivated, no matter whether or not you’ve “always known”.
2. Purposeful work has to be altruistic.
In order to have a purposeful career, you need to work at a non-profit or in some sort of “feel good” industry, right? Wrong. For some people the mission of their organization is an important factor, but not for all of us. Purposeful work is not inherently tied to “how good” or meaningful the work is. Purposeful work can actually often be found within the work that is meaningful TO YOU. So if you LOVE being in front of a classroom and training people on the type of work you do, that will feel very meaningful, fulfilling, and purposeful to you (even if it doesn’t impact the world as a whole). Everyone has different motivations, so it’s all about designing a career that aligns with yours.
3. Purposeful careers seldom pay well.
In the same vein as the myth above, some people believe that purposeful work is a vow of poverty. No, you don’t need to relegate yourself to a life of Top Ramen in order to pursue purpose. In fact, doing purposeful and fulfilling work can pay the big bucks! But again, as in the point above, it depends on what type of work is motivating to YOU. If you’re building purpose around that, you can absolutely make good money and feel fulfilled.
4. Wanting a purposeful career is entitled.
This myth is often a talking point in the millennial vs. boomer power struggle. There’s a narrative (especially coming from the older generations) that millennials are entitled, avocado-toast eating purpose-chasers. “Who the hell are you to expect a fulfilling career? I didn’t ask for that in my 45 years at the same company!”. Here’s the thing, though: I would argue that wanting fulfilling work makes you MORE devoted to your job, not less. You care enough to want more. Let go of the “entitled millennial” myth. Just because someone didn’t ask for fulfillment themselves, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t either. ;)
5. Having a purposeful career means that the work feels easy.
What I call the “love what you do and never work a day in your life” myth. I hate that quote, and I think it does more harm than good. In reality, fulfilling work is not about your job feeling like rainbows and unicorns each day. Purpose is a deep driving factor, but there will still be tasks and activities that you don’t particularly enjoy! Hey, I’m super motivated and fulfilled by my work, but I still don’t love it when I have to sit down and do my Quickbooks… Instead, I’d argue a more accurate quote is “love what you do and the hard days are worth it”.
6. Purpose is an “answer”. Once you find it, you’re set.
This is probably the biggest, most damaging myth in my opinion. Many of the new clients I speak to have this thought that purpose is an answer, and all they need to do is solve a secret math equation to unlock their own. This is why they often love assessments so much! They would love to be able to take a test and then find their magic “answer” career path. This is a super problematic way to view purpose, though.
I teach all of my clients that purpose is not a vocation. It’s not a job title that you need to “solve for”, because if we look at purpose that way, it’s a finite end-point. This is why so many people reach their “peak” and end up feeling unfulfilled. So please, if you take one thing away from this article, take away the fact that purpose is not one answer that you need to “solve for” and then achieve. You’ll end up feeling empty, and back to square one.
If, after all that, you’re wondering how I DO explain purpose to clients, it’s like this: purpose is a north star. It’s a clear idea about who you are, what’s important to you, and what you find fulfilling when it comes to work. Purpose and clarity go hand in hand.
So, do you think you’ve fallen victim to any of these purpose myths before? I’d love to hear from you in the comments which one of these myths you particularly enjoyed seeing busted. And as always, when you’re ready to look for more purposeful work in the correct way, shoot me a note. I’m here to help.
