Lost your lustre? Reignite passion for your career by finding your purpose with the help of Phillipa White
Are you are looking for ways to do and be more? Perhaps you want to find ways to get your business or your boss to stand for more and inspire others to do the same. But how do you do that? And what does that look like?
Well, growth and personal development don’t happen inside of our comfort zones, our area of expertise or our professional bubbles. Instead, they happen in immersive experiences that push our boundaries and question our status quo, outside of the corporate world and the daily circumstances we are used to.
This probably doesn’t come as a shock to you since most professionals, especially EAs, find themselves operating in a very specific field where you often don’t get the opportunity to step out of your silo and others’ expectations.
However, it is so important to find ways to step out of the circuit, your bubble, your comfort zone, and find your own route. How great would it be to have the chance to step out of the hierarchy so you can unlock that special magic within you? Having a clear purpose is the secret for the magic to happen.
Let me introduce you to Lauren…
In 2016 Lauren Smith spent 30 days in Mozambique working with the marine conservation organisation Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF). Everyone at the organisation was completely dedicated to and passionate about the cause, working tirelessly to preserve ocean life and do all they could to rid the ocean and beach of plastic.
Lauren came from the communications industry in the US. She was an extremely competent seasoned professional who was top of her game – but she was looking to be pushed in new ways.
While still fully employed at the company, she was involved with their professional development programme with The International Exchange (TIE). Her project objective was to use her knowledge to help create materials to help MMF present themselves to high-net-worth donors.
The interesting part came at the end of the programme when she wondered how on earth she could go back to the corporate world. Surely, she needed to stay in Mozambique and continue to work for the NGO, she thought. But on further reflection, she started to notice something different about herself. At first, she couldn’t put her finger on it. Then it was clear. Lauren’s experience awakened in her the courage and clarity to connect with something bigger than herself.
With that, she started to think differently. She realised she could use what she’d discovered about herself on the TIE programme to make a positive impact on the planet. And she could look at impacting the private sector from a systemic point of view – which could be a bigger change than simply cleaning up the plastic from one beach.
She started to feel inspired by the impact she could now create. She could start to come up with the solutions, rather than waiting for someone else. She couldn’t wait to go back to work and start because she had found her purpose – her own, unique north star to guide and excite her in ways she would never have thought possible before.
The experience created the catalyst that pushed her to think differently and changed the way she tackles problems and interacts with the world.
