Book Launch Week — Or Is it?
This week is nothing like I expected. My first book launches tomorrow. I’ve spent 2 years getting to this point, and it’s somewhat anticlimactic. My kid’s have been very sick the last couple of weeks, and my new job has been hectic (although exciting), so the time I’ve had to devote to thinking about and celebrating my book launch has been extremely limited. It’s funny how life works out that way, but I’m not worried or saddened by the way this week has panned out. In fact, it’s just cemented the idea in my mind that what I love most about creating is just that. Creating. It’s not the finished product; it’s the time spent learning, growing, and building something that matters.
This book, I know, is the first of many, and the Love to Work Initiative is very much in its infancy. It will grow over time as and when I have time to devote to it. It’s important to me so I know I will make the space, just like I did for this book.
Dual purpose
One of the factors I learned in my research is that people who love to work find a purpose that works for them. I talk about how defining your purpose can seem like an impossible task because the word ‘purpose’ sounds all encompassing, like what you define needs to have the possibility to change the world. The thing with purpose is that it only needs to impact something, and that impact can be great or small, wide ranging or close to home.
My big purpose is to change the world of work. I want people to see that finding joy at work is possible. I want people to know that work doesn’t need to be a miserable experience, and I’m doing that from two angles.
- By working with organizations to affect change with leaders of organizations (my current day job).
- And by working with people one on one or those who need support from the ground up to have the tools to find joy in their work.
But I have another purpose. To support my family both with my time and my income. And right now, that’s my priority.
This shift has meant I’ve had to change how I realize my goals by moving from solely working freelance and having time to build my business to moving to a full time role to help support my family. It has been absolutely the right choice for me for many reasons.
1. I’ve chosen a company I believe in, who offer me the flexibility I need to look after my family when I need to, and who offer me challenging work that helps me to continue my mission.
2. I wanted to get back into a full time position where I felt I could grow and learn from others. There is learning in growing a business and freelancing, but it’s different. You’re expected to be the expert and while I know my field, I don’t believe anyone is ever an expert. There’s always more to learn.
3. I feel more financially secure which, in turn, is allowing me to invest more in my purpose of helping individuals love their work, at the same time as supporting my family.
However, the shift in direction has meant I have less time for my business, so now I’m having to rethink how I move that forward while continuing to achieve my new work and family goals.
My reason for sharing this with you is that it’s important to recognize that your direction and focus can change, but that doesn’t have to mean your goals become impossible to achieve. It only means you must get creative about how you will achieve them.
Never, never, never give up
Changing course can be a very positive thing for your life, even if it takes you some time to recalibrate. Your purpose can change and priorities can shift at any moment, the key is making sure you stay true to what you want, whatever hurdles you need to jump to get there.
