PURPOSEFUL HUSTLE BLOG

We’re already less than a month away from 2022. The beginning of a new year is always an exciting time for ambitious people who want to start fresh on reaching career goals, losing weight, quitting smoking, picking up more hobbies, and accomplishing more in life. However, studies estimate that only 8% of people who set resolutions actually follow through with them. What’s stopping you from being part of that 8%? Discipline? Vague resolutions? A general “blah” feeling towards your goals as the year goes on? Luckily, the tricks to accomplishing your New Year’s goals aren’t as hard as you think. Here are a few tips that will make reaching New Year’s resolutions simple, hassle-free, and most importantly, successful.

The holidays are fast approaching. Radio stations are starting to play festive music, people are in the throes of holiday shopping, and you have family coming over in a week. You likely already have a lot on your mind (and your plate!) at work, but with the incoming annual holiday bustle it can be even harder to focus on your project deadlines and daily tasks. Below are five easy tips to help redirect your focus on your work, even with “Last Christmas” playing on your coworker’s desk speakers and your out-of-town sister texting nonstop about her plans to fly in for the holidays.

There was a time in my life when I was saying yes to everything. I took on random work, ran volunteer projects, and attended meetings whenever I was asked, no matter the project or event. I have always been adept at juggling projects and dividing my attention among several areas. However, at this point in my life, my schedule was so full, I only had an average of six hours of rest time built into my day (and that included sleep!). This pace was not sustainable and, ultimately, I felt burned out and stretched thin. The main problem? I was straying too far from my purpose when I said yes to everything. I ended up in meetings where I had little to offer or gain. I worked on projects that were well outside my wheelhouse or scope of interest. Ultimately, I was doing myself a disservice and not making the kind of impact I wanted to be making. It was time to pump the brakes and refocus! It was time to develop and stick to a purpose statement.

“Don’t wait for opportunity. Create it.” -Anonymous You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to exercise creativity and innovation. And you don’t have to quit your job and start your own company to live in your purpose. It is possible (and often less risky) to make meaningful change from within your current organization. It’s not necessary to switch roles or gain a promotion—you can unearth purpose-driven opportunities from exactly where you are today. It only takes some strategizing and a healthy dose of intrapreneurship.

Establishing and developing a new business may sound as daunting as climbing Mount Everest. The sheer number of items you need to address before “opening shop” can feel overwhelming, and it may be difficult to know where to begin. However, you don’t have to tackle your new venture on your own. Many accessible resources exist that can help support your fledgling business. Just like Mount Everest climbers have plenty of support (mountaineering guides, trainers, gear manufacturers for cold-weather clothing and shoes), so, too, do entrepreneurs have a wealth of resources available to them. Additionally, many of the resources for new business owners are free or low cost. Tap into one or more of the following resources for your new business venture:

If your career is demanding and fast-paced, you may find yourself checking emails constantly, making calls after hours, and thinking about your duties all the time. A lot of the time we talk about blending your profession with your purpose. But for some people, that can be daunting, especially when other people in your life depend on the stability your current job offers. Fear not! This is not a 0-sum game. If you don't want or aren't ready to rethink your day job, start with these questions: who are you outside of work? What motivates you to keep going? How can you find purposeful activities in your free time? A 2010 study published in Applied Psychology found that individuals with high levels of well-being—which involves having a sense of purpose along with a sense of control and a feeling like what you do is worthwhile—tend to live longer. Sounds to me like your life depends on your purpose! Well, maybe that’s a stretch, but finding little ways to make a difference can definitely help make your life more purposeful. Here are some ways to discover your purpose outside of work:

Does it matter the speed we’re going if we don’t know where the final destination is? Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living” and this has proven to be true in a fast-paced world filled with distractions and detours. How then do you align your thoughts and decisions to a life of purpose? The answer is self-reflection.

How many opportunities for connections are we passing up each day? Big Mama turned this concept on its head with one visit to Washington, DC. Find out what she did below.

This week's Failsume mistake of Being Too Cheap is associated with the song "Bag Lady" by Erykah Badu, which encourages women to value ourselves higher than anything else. How are you valuing yourself in your Purposeful Hustle? (A Failsume is a list of all my failures and mistakes throughout my career. The purpose of sharing this information is for you to learn what to avoid when faced with the same situations.)

This month I am talking about transitions. A lot of people have been reaching out to me to discuss the idea of transitioning into a new career. With people having some time to reflect, they are contemplating going into a totally new line of work and they are realizing they want to do things differently. They’re in this place where they’re starting to wonder what it looks like to transition into new work. I thought it would be a great idea to share some ideas for transitioning into new work in a way that is purposeful. And THAT is why so many people are calling me: they know they don’t want to do just anything and nobody should be doing just anything. You want to be doing things that are going to feed your soul, the things that are really going to feed who you are as an individual and leave a positive impact in the world.