Core value · Growth family
Purpose
A clear sense of what you’re here to do
Also covers Meaning
What does purpose mean as a core value?
Purpose as a core value means having a clear sense of what you’re here to do, and letting that direction shape your work, your commitments and your choices.
Without a why, even well-paid work can start to feel hollow. If purpose is a core value, hard work that matters energises you, while easy work that means nothing wears you down. You look for a thread that runs through your choices, a sense of what you’re here to do, and you feel adrift when it goes missing. For you, meaning is what makes the effort worthwhile now, long before the mortgage is paid off. It often explains decisions other people find puzzling.
What does purpose look like in practice?
- You turn down a promotion that would pull you away from the work you care about.
- You can say in a sentence what your team exists for, and you ask others the same question.
- You say no to commitments that don’t connect to what matters most to you.
- You rethink your priorities after a big life event and change course where it fits.
- You feel flat for weeks after finishing a project that didn’t mean anything.
When is purpose overplayed?
A strong sense of purpose can shrink your peripheral vision. Everything gets judged by whether it serves the mission, so friendships, rest and play start to feel like distractions. You can grow impatient with colleagues who just want to do a good job and go home, and hold on to a purpose long after it has stopped fitting. Healthy purpose leaves room for ordinary pleasures and lets the answer to “why” evolve as you do. It might be worth booking something into next week that serves no purpose at all.
Often confused with
Purpose vs Vision
Vision is a picture of the future you want to create. Purpose is the reason behind it: why you’re doing any of it at all.
Purpose vs Contribution
Contribution is about adding value to the whole. Purpose is a personal sense of direction, which might involve contributing but might equally be about a craft, a faith or a family.
Purpose vs Spirituality
Spirituality is a connection to something beyond yourself. Purpose can be spiritual but needn’t be: it’s about knowing what you’re here to do.
Questions to sit with
- If you had to describe what you’re here to do in one sentence, what would you write, and how much of last week fitted it?
- Which commitment are you keeping out of habit long after it stopped meaning anything?
- What would you lose if you let your purpose change?
More values in Growth
Becoming more than you were.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
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