Did the pandemic give you the extra nudge?
Ozlem Brooke Erol
20+ Years In Purpose Work | Help professionals who want to find work that is not only about a paycheck | Work with leaders who care about having a positive impact as much as making profit
As we all acknowledge, the pandemic has been challenging to say the least. We can never minimize the impact it had in our world and especially for families who have lost a loved one. Our hearts always go out to you.
On the positive side, it made people reflect on their lives. Do life audits. Look inward.
What is most important in my life?
Are my relationships working?
Is this the job or career I want to continue?
What are my priorities?
What needs to change in my life?
Where do I want to live?
Am I happy?
How can I be more purposeful in the rest of my life?
are only some of the questions I heard from my clients. I am sure many out there are asking the same.
I have witnessed over and over again that bad events, circumstances stir up these questions; they become a wake up call. They are the light bulb moments. I always work hard to live a life where I do not wait for something horrible to happen to understand what is important. That has always been one of my guiding principles. We do not seem to understand the preciousness of our lives until we have a life-altering experience. It is being human. We can change it though by being more self-aware and more conscious of our choices.
This global pandemic is an amazing opportunity given to us if we are willing to take it. It is a catalyst for change we wanted but have been ignoring or postponing for a long time. Let’s sit and take the time to answer deep and meaningful questions like above even if we do not have all the answers yet. Once it is in your mind and consciousness, the answers will come.
We all have learned something from this experience. Some of my clients tell me they don’t feel like they can be the same person they were before the pandemic. They also tell me they do not want to be. This is a good thing, please do not let this go. Being proactive in choosing what to do with the rest of your path will make you happier. I always had to invent an interruption from the routine to shake people to own their lives. This is it. It is given to us all.
As we have more people getting vaccinated, numbers getting better, schools opening, businesses calling their people back, I am almost anxious to lose this moment. Life is short. We are the only ones who can give meaning to our existence here. So please take the time before everything gets to be busy again. Take some “me” time, write down all the questions into a nice notebook or in a new folder on your computer and answer the ones you can. Keep it close by to enter some more notes as new thoughts, feelings, and dreams arrive. They will. I promise.
The extra nudge we needed were hidden somewhere in this pandemic. Use it.
I am an advisor, a speaker, and an author who is interested in future of work and how organizations can thrive in this new world. I work with head of People and Culture and executive teams to increase employee engagement, lower turnover rates, and hire the right people based on purpose-fit and unbiased principles using Emotional Intelligence practices. I save organizations thousands and millions of dollars by reducing turnover. I also have worked with hundreds of professionals who are unhappy at work. My dream is to turn this around so that all people are fulfilled at work. I am the author of Create a Life You Love. My purpose in life is to help as many individuals and organizations as possible to find their purpose and live it. The book I co-authored with amazing writers, From Hierarchy to High Performance, became an Amazon International Bestseller in August 2018. I love going around the world talking about Purpose, Purpose-Driven Leadership and Organizations.
You can connect with me here, on my websites (www.yourbestlifeinc.com and www.purposeful.business) or on Twitter (@boerol1). I also add short videos and clips on YouTube Purpose Channel to talk about purpose in life and at work at https://www.youtube.com/c/purposefullifechannel
IT & Digital, Leadership (Global/Virtual), Business Partner, strategy, governance, organization, portfolio, M&A, recruitment, ethics & values, CSR, ESG, organizational & digital philosopher. (SAP, Manhattan.)
3 年Patience is a virtue they say. But patience is also an activity, unlike waiting which is predominantly passive. That's because patience is "ends" orientated - it has purpose, there's meaning! Patience is also (often, if not always) connected to change - to that what is, which we know can (could/should) be different. Bob Chapman talks about courageous patience in "Everybody matters - the extraordinary power of caring for your people like family" - as an almost Stoic attitude of patience towards the other, which requires courage in the fast-moving business world of chance. As the CEO of Barry-Wehmiller he extends trust and patience - knowing that change is an individual matter, and forcing conformity rarely have long-lasting impact nor change in its nature.