How To Free Your Greatness Through The Work You Do

Baby Boomers and Millennials have something in common: Their work needs to mean more than a paycheck. These generations, perhaps more than others, are consciously looking for more meaning.

Baby Boomers used to not be like that. In their prime working days, they were all about the dollar. They wanted to make a lot of money and other priorities could hang out on the back burner. Now, though, as Baby Boomers are retiring from jobs and careers where they have worked for paychecks and stability, many are taking this time to search for work and side projects that have more meaning to them. They are looking for work to fulfill purpose and/or to align with a passion.

Millennials, for their part, are starting out with this desire for more meaning in their work. Sure, they want to earn well, but finding meaning in that good paycheck is important. They need to feel that what they do matters.

I truly identify with the quest these two generations are
on, and my work speaks to it. My mission is to help individuals free their greatness through the work they do. In other words, how can you use your natural talents, learned skills, big ideas, messages, and expertise to do something amazing? How can you take what you know or are good at doing, tap into something unique inside yourself, and turn that into an offering to help others, serve the world, and be a force for good?

I believe life gives us all gifts to make our way. Making our way is about making an income and making an impact. I believe we can use our gifts in our work, and when we do that, we can create something amazing and yes, free our greatness.

So how do you get from wanting to do something meaningful and great to actually doing it? Here are three tips to help you free your greatness through the work you do:

1. Identify what is special about you. You have a gift. Maybe you’ve always known what your gift is. Maybe it’s that talent you were born with. Or maybe you’ll have to search for what your gift is. If you already know what it is, that is great. If you don’t, it’s OK. Your assignment is to figure it out. Examine your life. What are you really good at doing? What do people seek you out for — is it performing a certain task like writing, offering advice for every sticky situation, making them feel better when they are down? Seeing what you’re good at or what people often turn to you for help with doing can be big clues.

2. Consider how your gift can be used to help others. It’s wonderful to use your gift to enhance your own life, but greatness comes when you use your gift to serve and help others. So how can your gift play into a solution for a problem others have? This may help you develop a product or service offering around your gift in business or may guide you to looking for a job with a company using your gift to serve a need.

3. Get out there and start using it! Many people have gifts they never share with the world. Their singing is beautiful and inspirational, but they only sing in the shower. Many people have ideas for real solutions to pressing problems, but only their closest friends know because they never move on those ideas. Many people have expertise gained from going through a certain situation, but nobody knows because they pack away what they’ve learned and never think to share it. If you have been shy about using your gift or haven’t seen fit to share it with others, now is your time.

While you may be more inclined to seek meaning and purpose — even greatness — in your work if you are a Millennial or a Baby Boomer, you can go for greatness no matter your generation or age. Use these tips to get started. Life has more for you than a mere income. Life calls you to make an impact.