Knowing your purpose is key to your commitment to professional development.

This is a article that was written by Cecilia Farrow and shared as part of on our #knowledgeshare series on LinkedIn.

Discovering and pursuing your purpose as a professional is a journey that many individuals embark on at some point in their careers. It’s a deeply personal and fulfilling endeavour.

In this article we explore the importance of finding your purpose as a professional, the benefits it can bring to your career and your overall well-being. We also discuss some steps you can take to help you define your own unique purpose.

Why is Finding Your Purpose as a Professional Important?

For many people, work occupies a significant amount of their life. Spending a large portion of your waking hours in a role that lacks meaning or fulfilment can lead to dissatisfaction, burnout, and a sense of emptiness. It’s also likely, customers will sense that this is ‘just a job’ to you and feel less inspired to use your services.

When you are engaged in work that aligns with your values, passions, talents and you can articulate your higher purpose in a meaningful way – the why you do what you do – you will have a greater sense of your direction and clarity for the reasons to invest in your professional development.

When you have a sense of purpose and your mindset is on growth and fulfilment, it can give you the motivation and drive to overcome challenges, persevere in the face of obstacles, and stay committed to your career and business goals.

In addition, finding your purpose as a professional can also enhance your overall well-being, happiness and will likely to have a positive impact on your client outcomes.

Hatice Necla Keleş, a professor in the Department of Organisational Management at Bahcesehir University has found that having a professional purpose and an identity “gives your life meaning and motivation” and highlights that nothing gives you more energy than a clear purpose.

Reflecting on what you care about and what motivates you is an important step in the process of defining your purpose.

To help define or maybe redefine your professional purpose experts recommend you answer these four questions:

• what drives me?
• what are my values?
• what am I good at doing?
• what contribution do I want to make to my clients’ lives, my colleagues, my community and my profession?

Extending these reflections to consider how what you do helps people and why this matters to you will deepen your connection to your purpose.

When you know your purpose ongoing professional development follows naturally because it’s intrinsically linked to achieving your goals.

If you enjoyed this article, make sure to follow FAP Services Network on LinkedIn and connect with Cecilia Farrow to have a conversation about our network.