Working with Purpose

Is there more than just being a "human doing"?

In a world that is filled with information and headlines, it is all too easy to not be original. It is easier to pick a headline and attach your identity to it as fear of criticism for standing out tends to hijack your beliefs. But what if you could stand for something that resonates deep within you? What if you woke up every morning for a reason connected with your inner being? What if there were more than just being a “human doing”? What if you could thrive as a “human being” who serves your inner calling? What if you live each day for something that inspires you on a spiritual level and is much deeper than just the surface? This is living with purpose.

Bringing values into the workplace

It takes a fearless conviction to go out on a limb and take your personal values to the workplace. I say this because I speak from experience. As a small business owner, my name represents the company brand and vice versa. The fear of criticism and backlash from the marketplace was a large deterrent for me when I considered bringing my personal values into the workplace.

Ultimately, what pushed me over the hump was my inner conviction to want to be more than a “human doing.” After a handful of years of working relentlessly to establish my brand and get the company off the ground in the local market, I still felt unfulfilled. Day by day, I took a lot of risks as an entrepreneur, but the achievements and financial growth only felt like a part of the equation. There was more within me that wanted to rise to the surface—my personal values. It was that realization that led me to recognize that my calling in this life is not to merely “do,” but to stand for something beyond myself.

Work detached from the Lord God is just that, work

Genesis 2:15 states: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it.” It does not say that the Lord God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to relax. We are created to work and to work well. That I do not deny. However, work detached from the Lord God is just that, work.

I know that I have been given gifts to lead. I also know that I am called to both mission and business. With these gifts and callings contributing to my inner turmoil as a young entrepreneur, I recognized that I did not have to give one up. To realize my purpose as a leader in business with a values based mission was the truest blessing. However, coming to this realization was only the start. It was the transfer from just a leader in business to a leader in business with a values driven mission that would require the largest a leap of faith.

A marketplace with little remnant of Values.

Taking that leap of faith is not for everyone. It requires courage and confidence in who you are to go out on a limb in a marketplace that seems to have very little remnant of values. Rather, values are left at home or among colleagues behind closed doors. Bringing values to the workplace only seems like the right thing to do.

How do you feel about values in the marketplace? Is it the right way to do business?