Tell me why...

Now it's in your head.

Hey,

Recently, I reconnected with a guy from work. We used to have more frequent interactions, but changes happen. He’s moved up, and it’s well deserved. I have zero doubts in his ability, and honestly, it makes me feel better knowing someone like him has influence. He’s the kind of person that should get promoted. If I had to list my top five favorite professional relationships, he’d be on there.

All that to say, he was one of my top choices to have a career conversation with. And despite his busy schedule, he was quick to agree to a meeting with me.

After some brief catch up, I gave him a short explanation of where my head was at in my career. I’m not in a place where I’m completely burnt out. I don’t go to bed with a sick feeling in my stomach, or wake up and curse the sunrise. But I also don’t feel a strong sense of direction. Sometimes it seems like everyone around me has their career mapped out. They know what their next move is and how they’re going to get there. Logically, I know that’s not the case. But it feels that way. When I look at my own path forward, I don’t see it. I’m lost on the trail.

He listened closely and gave me some insight from his own journey. But one part has stuck with me since our conversation.

It’s the question, Why?

This wasn’t the first time I’d heard this advice. You need to know your “why” in order to fulfill your unique calling. Simon Sinek goes into detail in his book, “Start With Why” - my intention isn’t to outline his work. But for whatever reason, in this conversation, it resonated differently.

So, for the last few days, I’ve been thinking about what really drives me. What’s the unique value I bring to the table? What I’m learning is that I bring perspective.

I thought back to times I was proud of my work. Times when I felt I contributed something valuable. I thought about the work that’s excited me. Virtually every instance was when I had given some unique perspective that brought clarity or a useful viewpoint. Filtering my life through this lens is bringing things into focus.

As an example, it’s why I enjoy writing.

When I tell people I like to write, I don’t mean I like typing. No one would phrase it that way, of course. Granted, I’m sure there are some people who love to type, but that’s not me. What I love is connecting ideas. Connecting unrelated dots.

Creating perspective.

And that’s the beauty of “why”. I can create perspective in meetings, or one-on-one conversations. I can do it through a text message, a Substack post, or a novel. I’m not limited to just one form. There are endless ways for me to express it. I just need to find the avenues that allow me those opportunities. Easier said than done… But, now I have a filter, which is an incredibly useful tool.

And that’s quite a gift a good leader gave me.

If you’re interested to see how I attempted to bring perspective through writing, please consider my novel, All That Is Common To Man.