Working with Purpose: is it possible?

I was reading Mindful.com this weekend, and thought this article  hit home, especially if you’re like me in 2018; I felt really fantastic about the new year for about 7 minutes, then got really distracted and scattered at minute 8. It doesn’t take me long, apparently, to get lost in my own world, and thoughts, and worries, and anxieties, and…I try to remind myself every morning that IT’S A NEW DAY.  A new beginning to try and infuse my life with mindfulness.  Just having the intention to be more mindful, to write in a gratitude journal, to reach out to someone who may need a kind word is a great way to start (and progress through) a new day.  I’m going to try to make this my first thought when I wake up.

But what about work? I don’t know about you, but with all of the diligence and concentrated effort I pour into work sometimes, I feel like I spend just as much time lost in thought, or paralyzed with too many projects, or scared of what tomorrow may bring (court testimony, a co-worker in distress, time in the stinky morgue cooler, etc.)  Finding small amounts of purpose in my daily life at work may very well be the way I break this feeling of “same day, different dollar” slump I’ve been in since the beginning of 2018.  I’m going to read the article again, then instill a little purpose into my work life.  I think I’ll start by color coding it into my new 2018 desk calendar (thank you, FV, you’re the best!)

Another similar concept: “being in your work”.  Being in your work only requires curiosity and again, a sense of purpose on how you’d like your day to unfold; in an organized, energized manner, or haphazardly with no thought or reason? Here’s another article about “being in your work”, and finding a balance at your job with your inner compass.

Do you think you can have the intention to bring more mindfulness to your life, and then bring it to work with you? What can you do to resist mindlessly wandering around the lab with a coffee cup, distracted by everything and having purpose in nothing?  I’m putting down my cup now…

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