Essay: Staying grounded: Purpose in everyday work
BY MOLLY GOSSELINK, GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
Years ago, I read a book that resonated with me and has continued to ground me when the world seems a little upside down. It was about finding purpose in your life and using it as your guiding principle, or North Star. If you’re up for a good read, check out “Life on Purpose” by Victor Strecher.
I’m hopeful this article hits at just the right time, post-spring break and pre-end of school year for those of you in Iowa, for a solid reminder that purpose can keep you grounded when it seems like the world is a never-ending stream of texts, Slacks and emails asking something of you.
How in the world does one find their purpose? Well, just ask the internet, it will tell you. It doesn’t need to be that deep though. Sit and think for a few minutes. Jot down what gets you out of bed on a Saturday morning; is it kids, your pets, coffee with your BFF? What makes you excited? For me, it’s all those things, and specifically it’s four kids, one husband and a couple of 75-pound Bernedoodles.
Jokes aside, people, connections and a sense of belonging have always been my purpose. I have a large family I love to be with, I love my friends fiercely and I truly enjoy connecting with my colleagues and community partners. This purpose, rooted in people, translated into a career where I get to work for a mission-driven nonprofit that focuses on meeting our clients and patients where they are, and supporting them through whatever phase of life they are in.
If you aren’t as lucky as I am to have mission-focused work you do day in and day out, we can find a string to tie it together. Your purpose can be part of your day-to-day too. For me, I work with community health programs; my purpose is part of each conversation. For you, it may take an extra step, but, believe me, it’s worth it. You work in marketing tractor tires, and your purpose is to make sure your kids grow up in a healthy, safe environment? Giddyup, let’s find that connection.
Look 1 inch deeper. Do you have a volunteer program at work? An employee engagement group? Don’t skip out on an opportunity to align your purpose with your work in a nontraditional way. Volunteer at the kids’ school, make sure they get an apple for a snack. It may not perfectly align, but those actions are bringing you back to that purpose. You can revisit those actions that will ground you in your purpose daily.
Putting it in practice
OK, we took the short path to finding purpose, and it’s easy to reflect on that on a lazy morning at the coffee shop, or around the start of a new year, but what about today? I imagine you’re sitting at your desk like me and wondering how you already have 15 emails at 9 a.m., your kid yelled about a shoelace being tied wrong (ask me how I know) and next thing you know, you skipped lunch and ate a protein bar at your desk.
I often find myself here, and how I recenter is through movement, walking specifically. I’ve tried other things. I cannot consistently journal, though I wish I did. That would be a beautiful mindfulness practice, it’s just not realistic for me. But walking, I can do that.
Each time I walk, and it’s something I try very hard to do each day, I think about what brings my life purpose for the first minute or two. If I’m at home walking the dogs at 6 a.m., I’m thinking about how I’m going to be present for my kids when I get back. It’s 45 minutes before school to connect with them and strengthen that relationship. And, if I don’t goof it up by accidentally looking at a teenager the wrong way five out of seven days, that’s a win.
If I’m at work and taking a 10-minute loop around the building, I’m thinking about what the staff I work with need to better serve the Des Moines community and show up for those we are privileged to get to work with.
That’s how I do it, and it took building it into a walking habit and lots of practice. What does this look like to you? Will it be walking? A journal? Mindfulness practice while you sip your coffee? Try a few things – what can you make a habit?
For me, my purpose is inclusion, loving and being loved, and out of that, helping others thrive. I get to work in a field that supports my purpose every day. I’m lucky, however, that I didn’t stumble into it. I worked hard for it through nursing school, a master’s degree program and too many career pivots to count. I still must work hard each day to remember the bigger purpose is what grounds me and will help me prioritize the chaos of everyday tasks that will never end, like laundry and email.
Molly Gosselink has spent more than 20 years advancing maternal, child and community health through nursing clinical practice, public health and organizational leadership. She began her career as a labor and delivery nurse at a large metropolitan birthing center after graduating from the University of Iowa. She later transitioned into public health as a nurse home visitor and earned her Master of Public Health from Des Moines University. Gosselink currently serves as the vice president of community health at EveryStep, where she has the privilege of working with a wide range of programs that support Iowans across the lifespan.
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