Recently I had the pleasure of listening to a talk by Ernest Barbaric. Ernest is a Calgarian who committed his life to understanding how people answer the question is what I'm doing with my life worthwhile?
He calls it meaningful work when you answer yes to this question. Over the last number of years of interviewing and reading articles on individuals he distilled a few commonalities.
First, all of these individuals had a moment of truth. A moment of truth is a significant life moment that makes you question the way things are. He discovered that at these intersections people turn one of two ways: I'm going to die anyways so I'll do whatever or I want to do something that matters.
My moment of truth came in 2013 when my Poppy passed away. It took me the next 18 months to really start to figure out what living a life that matters looks like (and I'm still learning). It was that event in my life that kept forcing me back to asking is that all there is? Is this the most I can do to carry on my Poppy's legacy?
Second, this work that matters is at the intersection of values, talents and service. When we find a professional and personal life with this alignment we find joy in what we do everyday. We need all three in order to find our greater purpose.
Those 18 months of exploration after my Poppy passed away were a journey to dig back into the values that he and the rest of my family had given me. I'm also getting better at leaning into my talents and accepting my weaknesses. We each have something that is a unique gift we've been given. Let's spend more time figuring out how to develop and celebrate this and surround ourselves with others whose gifts fill in our own gaps. I've always tried to live a life of service, I'm now starting to figure out the sweet spot where that service intersects with what I believe in and what I'm good at.
Ernest also has a podcast and articles on his website where you can learn more about the wisdom he's sourced to help you find your meaningful work.
Being a Force for Good 