How I found my professional purpose and how you can find yours

Many of my friends, colleagues and peers notice that I’m always 100% dedicated at work, regardless of the tasks thrown at me. That’s why “what motivates you to devote yourself to work every single day?” has been one of the common questions I’ve been getting since becoming the CEO of one of Europe's fastest-growing neobrokers.

The truth is: anybody can be as motivated as me. I’m not special, I just found a cause that’s close to my heart, that I’m committed to and that I’ll happily get out of bed for every morning. Satisfaction in your job is so much more important than how much you get paid. In fact, according to a study by the Harvard Business Review, 9 out of 10 people are willing to earn less money as long as they do something meaningful.?

Finding your purpose is paramount in living a happy life. Especially now, during these last years in which we’ve lived through many historic and life-changing events, it’s indispensable to have a crystal clear reason to get out of bed in the morning.??

Now that I’ve found mine, I want to make a difference every day. And since sharing is caring, I’d love to share some tips on how you can find yours.

Don’t look for your purpose, create it?

As some of you may know, I grew up in a single-parent household. Seeing my mom independently build a better future for her kids and herself, I discovered the importance of financial independence at a young age. Hard work pays off was, unsurprisingly, the biggest lesson I learned during that time.

Now, as a father of twin daughters, my vision on the need for independence has only become clearer. I see the volatile times that they are born into and the economic challenges that new generations are and will be facing; future generations are left to contend with the challenge of building a financially stable future while navigating these new challenges.?

You need to be intrinsically motivated by your purpose to ensure you are willing to give it your all. And in this case, my past and my present fuel me to make sure we get one step closer to @BUX’s mission every day.?

Having a purpose is not so much about going out and finding it. It usually already exists inside of you, you just need to realise it and create your professional purpose around it.

Where to start?

Even though that sounds logical, you might wonder, where do I start? I’ve listed 3 tactics on how you - according to my experience - can get one step closer to finding your purpose.

1. Make it personal

In order to dedicate yourself to something bigger than yourself, you need to be able to relate to the cause you’re devoting yourself to. In my case, growing up with a single mom and being a dad of two little girls, not only did I first-handedly see the need for independence, it also was a topic I deeply care about.?

2. Have the right skills

You can have an amazing vision, but you might not have the right skills to fix a particular issue. Everybody has a different set of skills, talents and experiences. In my case, I am driven, have an eye for detail, and I’m strategically gifted; the skills that the CEO of a company disrupting the investment space should possess.?

Helping my team members find their purpose, I always try to focus on their strengths. Because that's where the value comes from...

3. Discover what you do NOT want?

Knowing what you do NOT want is just as important as knowing what you want. Personally, after working for many years in the corporate banking sector, I knew that this wasn’t the environment for me. I got out of it and entered the fast-paced world of building startups that want to make a difference. I chose to join BUX and dedicate myself to fighting the global wealth gap by making investing accessible, intuitive and affordable.?

Know what makes you smile, but also discover the things you do not want, environments you do not thrive in and career paths you do not envision yourself being in.

We all want to have an ongoing impact on the world, large or small. Even though that’s important, we’re still human and we will not feel like having a bigger purpose every single day. And that’s ok. As long as you take small steps to achieving self-actualization. Small steps always add up to achieving big things.