How adding purpose to your work can change everything

A guest post from Ben Veal, Second Mountain Comms

Five years ago, I was truly lost. I didn’t have a clear sense of who I was, what I was working for or where I was going.

I’d ticked off all the boxes of a ‘successful’ working life. I had climbed the career ladder and ascended to a very senior public relations agency role. I was earning great money, I had a nice house and car, and was able to afford to go on nice holidays with my wife and kids each year.

But something fundamental was missing: purpose.

I was drifting along aimlessly. The days bled into weeks and then into months, and I was miserable. I didn’t feel like I was the captain of my own ship: I was being pulled along with the current of life. It had all become so overwhelming.

The pandemic changed everything for me. Overnight, the trajectory of my life shifted in a direction that I couldn’t possibly have anticipated just a few months prior. Like so many, as the world locked down and client budgets were drastically tightened, I was released by the company I worked for — being let go set me free.

Four years ago, I made a promise to myself: that I would now live, and work, with purpose. I founded my own business, Second Mountain Comms, with the aim of helping good people do good. I would only work with people who shared a similar outlook to me and who wanted to make genuine change in the world. I would finally steer my career in a direction that felt right to me and aligned with my values.

Thinking Space Coaching became part of my journey in 2021; for the last three years, Michelle and I have worked in partnership with one another to make sure that my purpose-driven business stays on track and doesn’t waver from its mission in the face of economic uncertainty and financial temptations.

Purpose-driven life is all about the choices you make. It’s time to make each day count, and to be proud of the work you do.

Today’s pebble for you to ponder: what choices will you make this week?

Ben

Turning over pebbles is the blog of Thinking Space Coaching

If you’re interested in working on your leadership behaviours and making the most of your potential, please do email me and let’s have a conversation about how we can work together.