The missing ingredient to skyrocket your career

A study conducted by CV Library revealed that 55.6% of British employees are dissatisfied with their current roles. According to a separate Forbes article, in the US around 52% of people are not in love with their job.

Did you know?

A lot of the smartest, skilled people are unhappy in their jobs. They lack motivation and confidence, and they are constantly stressed. They suffer from impostor syndrome, and spend huge amounts of energy trying to fit in or say (or do) the right thing. Some live in fear that they will be found out and fired, and because of this they are anxious all the time.

However, they don’t understand why they are unhappy. Often times, they are following a career dream that they had as a child, or following the path that is expected of them. Sometimes, they ended up exactly where they wanted, only to find out that they were not happy. They dislike the organisation they work for, as well as their co-workers, but they are sticking it out because the money is good, a promotion may be close by, or they think that work is supposed to suck.

The holy grail of career satisfaction

A lot of people I meet have followed the career advice that is currently in vogue, like 'how to ace an interview', 'how to use emotional intelligence at work', 'the power of introverts at work', or 'nice girls don't get the corner office', but they are still stuck. And, while emotional intelligence or interview skills are undoubtedly super important, they are missing the key ingredient, the cornerstone, the holy grail of job satisfaction - purpose.

People like Elon Musk, Mother Theresa, and Richard Branson all have a clear purpose that guides their every decision, and acts as a compass so that they don’t get lost along the way. Purpose, meaning, and passion are all concepts that they’ve recognised as being important and which have helped them persevere through the obstacles they face.

You see, once you make a certain amount of money and your basic needs are met, you get decreasing returns on investment when it comes to your happiness. At that point, purpose, meaning, and contribution become the biggest contributing factors to career success! A lot of people get trapped in the pursuit of money, and fail to see other opportunities because they believe that changes equal a loss in income. While this is sometimes true, depending on the changes you want to make, more often than not people find other, sometimes more profitable, roles.

Are you stressed, anxious, or unhappy at work? 

The very first step you need to take is getting crystal clear on what is your purpose is, whether it is practical or spiritual. Once that has been defined, you can start looking at factors like environment, type of job, organisational culture, and other practical aspects to ensure that your career skyrockets, you make the income you want, and you are enjoying life along the way.