Nick Meeder | Way Finders

I hate working when it feels like it is purposeless. Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel that the only reason you go to work is because you have to to make a living?

I believe that most people dread work because they feel no sense of purpose. Many spend time trying to quit their job to “find their dream job.” Yet, when they finally find their “dream” many lose interest because it requires…wait for it…WORK!

I’ve discovered three things that have really helped me find purpose in my work, instead of trying to find my purpose by finding my dream.

1. I’m creating something – God created us in His image. God created everything, from the smallest quanti to the expanse of the universe. Therefore, creating something is very satisfying for us. Try finding the creative aspects of what you do. I do heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and sometimes I get to create a system for a building that takes heat energy from one area and transfers it to a place less desirable. This happens through some very sophisticated and amazing equipment.
2. Serve people – The way value is added to humanity and the way business operates is through serving people’s needs and wants. Maybe your a pastor who serves people by counseling their spiritual or emotion need. Or perhaps you work for Apple and design phones for people who want them. Either way, focus on how you can serve someone better and influence them towards positivity. There’s nothing like being served by a fantastic customer service representative or salesperson who seeks your benefit instead of making a sale.
3. Own your role – This sort of goes along with creating. What ever responsibilities you’ve been given at your work, concentrate on over delivering. Seek out ways to make processes work better. Be the top performer. Half of the people today wonder why they don’t move up in a company or aren’t considered for promotions. It’s probably because they’re not delivering in their current role, so why would anyone want to move them up higher?

Part of being the leader is shaping people’s understanding of “why.” This is also part of communicating consistently with your team, children, or spouse.

When people don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing, people die, maybe not physically, but emotionally and intellectually. 

When you create vision for the future, if you define it, if you imagine what the future should be, then you become clear on what you need to do and you are motivated to work towards it.

I’ve heard it said that the reason many people never achieve what they desire in life is because they do not have a clearly defined “why” or vision for what they want.

Probably the most difficult part of “why” is training yourself to review it regularly, and connect with it emotionally. But once you do, and you train yourself in it, you gain momentum and it’s difficult to stop you!

Discipline is difficult. It doesn’t come easy to us. Discipline is getting yourself to do something you don’t feel like doing, to get an outcome that is beneficial.

Discipline isn’t fun, but I like what it produces. Leaders are those who can discipline themselves to consistently show up to work on time. Leaders are those who can discipline themselves to consistently deliver on promises and help people. 

One major detriment to anyone’s influence (whether you’re a subordinate or not) is inconsistency. People know a fake when they meet one, and it gets reinforced every time you’re undisciplined in delivering to people who depend on you. This true for every relationship, whether at work or at home.

Be disciplined, don’t be inconsistent, and make sure you have fun too!

Nothing is more destructive to relationships than lack of quality communication. 

The ability to understand each person and desire to empathize and truly connect is key for any leader trying to influence people around them. 

Want to know how to destroy your marriage, try not communicating. Want to destroy your organizations’ internal productivity and desire to win at their job, don’t communicate.

The issue is, no one takes the time to give information the way a person needs it. If you’re talking to your spouse, you have to give emotional energy and communication the way he or she needs to receive it. When that happens, a safe environment is created where trust can flourish. The same is true for your children or your job. If you invest in communicating well with others you can influence, then your relationships will flourish. But it starts with putting away your objective and desiring first to benefit and help the other person, not your selfish objective.

Have you ever marveled at the Israelites’ historical journey out of Egypt and all the events up to the exiles? I recently read through the whole story, not all at once, but over a few months, and it is astounding to me how stupid the Israelites were. A typical pattern emerged: God delivers them, they prosper, turn from God, seek their own idols, reap destruction or pain, then repent and turn to God, and the cycle starts all over again. With each passing miraculous deliverance by God, they still turned from God’s ways, even though they’d seen it with their own eyes. I found myself getting extremely frustrated. I would go from elation at God’s heroic deliverance and adoration of the one true God I love and serve, to frustration and anger at the Israelites that they turned from God. I remember praying to God, “Don’t they get it? How many times do You have to save them before they get it? Sheesh, they are so stupid!” I found myself empathizing with God’s heart towards His people, the Israelites. God would get angry and I would get angry. He would restore and forgive; I would be in awe of His enduring love and steadfast faithfulness. I just didn’t understand how people could be fed by bread from heaven and quale in the wilderness, the miraculous deliverance from Egypt, and many, many more miracles, and yet they would turn aside from following their God with all their heart.

And then it happened…God said, “You’re no different than they were.”

This is where I got a glimpse of God’s heart. My heart is so wicked! I am just like the Israelites. I pray to God for help through a difficult time in life. However, after it has passed and life goes on as normal, I forget Him and my heart turns to achieving the American dream instead of gaining fellowship with Christ. That becomes my idol. At times, my heart’s desire is for the pleasure in God, yet the achievement thereof is not possible in myself. His design is so much greater than I could concoct for my life, yet I settle for meaningless indulgent pleasure in sin, and as a result, add pains and suffering to myself. Yet, each time my heart turns away from God, and the harvest of pain reaped from sowing to my flesh turns me back to God, He still forgives me. Why do I ever settle for anything else besides the heart of God?

The heart of God is more beautiful that you could fathom. The heart of God is deeper than you can understand. The heart of God beats for you. The heart of God longs for you. The heart of God cares for you. The heart of God is there with you in your hardship, in your pain, in your regret, in your confusion, in your ambivalence, in your broken friendship, in your hurting marriage, in your fear, in the moment of a friend’s betrayal, in the uncertainty of the lay-off from work…God is there, and He loves you where you are!