1st Steps In The Hunt: Daily News For Job Hunters and Recruiters

interbiznet.com

S P O N S O R S

RECRUITERS

EXECUTIVE
SEARCH FIRMS

Purpose

April 10, 2003

What is your purpose in life, anyway?

In the best of all possible worlds, your Job should reflect some of your deeper aspirations and goals. Your actions do have an effect on the world and the people around you, so simply working to pay the bills leaves most of us irritatingly dissatisfied. Some of our stress from work (or being out of work) stems from the gut feeling we have that there should be more to life than just connecting part A to part B all day long. Even Jobs with more intellectual stimulation can leave one feeling slimy and used.

At some point you need to ask yourself, what do I really want to do with the rest of my life? This is not so much a mid-life crisis question as it is a whole-life question. Your answers to the following questions may help get you started in the right direction - they helped me a little. Answer yes or no to these questions:

Do you look forward to the first day of your workweek?
Do you have clear career and life goals?
Do you feel your life has been worthless?
Do you think your daily tasks are satisfying?
Would you drastically change your life if you had only a few months to live?
Have you seriously considered killing yourself?
Do you feel that your Job gives meaning to your life?
Do you think that you have inner peace?
Are you happy?
Can you define your life purpose?
Does your career reflect your purpose in life?
Do you do what you should rather than what you want?

Of course, there aren't any right or wrong answers. However, if you feel worthless, unhappy, have no purpose or meaning to your life, and think about offing yourself to the point of making plans, then you should address these issues with close friends. Develop some perspective on life - there is always someone who is worse off than you are. That's why misery loves company, it assuages our deeper senses of aloneness.

I'm reminded of a 60's anthropologist who was studying in Africa, and showed members of an impoverished tribe some pictures of Depression era dustbowl families. The pictures showed the families in front of their homes with their ruined farms in the background, and no one in the pictures was smiling - a grim look seemed fixed on all their faces. Even when apprised of the Depression era difficulties these families faced, none of the Africans could understand why these people seemed universally sad. Their poverty and living conditions were not dissimilar, what was different were their expectations. The Africans reveled in their membership in a family and community, and no raised expectations that things should be any different.

If you really want to know the meaning of life (and your purpose in it), watch Monty Python's movie of the same name. Their priceless advice? Be nice to people, don't forget to treat yourself well, have a warm bath occasionally, and don't take things too seriously.

-Mark Poppen

"Niche Job Sites are more effective" - Forrester Research study
Why not look for jobs in your specific area?

Use these top Niche Job Sites and get results:

CallCenterJobs.com

CampusCareerCenter.com

Click Here for profiles. marketing@nicheboards.com