Finding a job isnāt easy, and being happy with it isnāt either. When we look for a job, we commonly filter our search to one that:
- Covers our expertise area
- Pays fairly well
- Is close to home (commute for more than 1h is a waste of time)
- Gives us a reasonable amount of vacations
- Is a place where we can learn
- Allows us to get better at what we do (do you like what you do?)
Did you ever question yourself, what would make you really motivated about your job? Maybe the items on the checklist you have just read, arenāt the only things you should consider.
Did you ever think about your purpose? What really motivates you? Are you generating any value with your work? In what way?
Letās try to think about what usually happens when you havenāt found your purposeā¦
What happens over time, when the routine starts ruining our days?
We start getting easily tired. We find excuses to distract ourselves, or we possibly start getting sick (more than usual), and we only think about weekends and holidays. We start trying to avoid work. Therefore, it is highly probable we arenāt getting better at what we do because we lost focus.
Why? Because we are failing to find meaning and purpose in what we do. When we fail to do this, we start looking elsewhere. We crave for change, something new. But how do we know we wonāt end up in the same place after finding a new job? I mean, how do we know that in the desperate need of change, we are moving towards something that is worth our time and effort? Letās get real, switching jobs is stressful and it takes time. So this is the moment we must try to think further and donāt underestimate that gut feeling. Ask ourselves: āwhat makes me vibe?ā
I am aware that finding the perfect job is difficult, and hey! thereās no such thing as the perfect job. But, what Iām trying to say is that, if you could find your purpose, it is likely youāll find that extra motivation and meaning in what you do. This will definitely stimulate and make you want to get better and better in what you do. Finding your purpose is key to helping you strive to actually deliver value, to what matters to you the most.
Donāt get me wrong, Iām not trying to make you think thereās something wrong with you or your job. I see this as an invitation to reflect and find meaning and purpose in what you do. Some may think it is a bit idealistic but, this really helped me personally. Ask yourselves: What makes me feel passionate and excited? What makes me feel like Iām not wasting my time?
Iām going to tell you a bit of my personal story so that this article becomes a real case scenario with signals and evidence. I think itāll help not to sound like Iām preaching to you š
First signal:
At 26 years old I was directing the marketing department in a famous fashion brand, back in Argentina. One afternoon, walking my dog with my mom, I told her āI think I donāt want to work anymore in a place that makes people buy things they donāt really needā. She was a bit surprised, because of all the effort I had done to get there. But actually, Iāve always had this altruistic side in me, or always trying to be conscientious. I needed to talk it over with some colleagues, friends, and family. I just needed to know if I was being crazy. They all answered pretty much the same: āThat sounds great, but a bit utopic. At the end of the day we all need to work. Maybe you can have a side project?ā. At that time I was young and I dropped the idea of thinking furthermore about this. Besides, I guess I wasnāt surrounded by a context that helped to get deeper into this.
As you see, there was no conciliation between purpose and work in the answer they gave me. It seems that being conscious and mindful about how we spend our time, is being utopic or unrealistic. Just do the math: 8 hours per day, 40 per week, 160 per month, on average 1920 hours per year. Thatās A LOT of time.
Second signal:
One year later I decided I wanted to go and do my Master's in Barcelona. After choosing between plenty of places and programsā¦Guess what? I chose a school whose slogan was āDesigners can change the worldā. My second signal. This place really boosted my thought process and introduced to me Simon Sinekās Golden Circle.

After many tutoring sessions, I came clear about which was my personal purpose: āTo generate positive impact in peopleās lives through designā. I wanted to spend my time doing meaningful things, businesses, jobs, relationships, hobbies, etc. And let me clarify. You donāt need to be working at Google or The Bill and Melindaās Foundation to impact society ā but if you are there, great! I guess itās really important to get surrounded by what will help you fulfill your need and desire. The context, place, people, projects, textbook, etc. Here I was able to nurture this ācrazyā way of thinking, which wasnāt crazy at all. It made perfect sense. I wasnāt the only one thinking and feeling this way.
Third signal:
Two years ago I was invited to work as a Service and UX Consultant in another country. I was so excited, flattered, and intrigued about the idea of continuing to develop my skills and sharing my experience in a new placeā¦So I said āYES!ā
It was a wonderful experience, I learned so much and I gave my all. But while working on two specific projects, something happened. I found myself helping companies trying to engage their users with cool experiences. But, the downside was that while researching how they could do this in a better way, I understood they were profiting from hiding and giving confusing info to their clients. The team and I always explained the importance of transparency and how they could profit from this. But to their eyes, this wasnāt viable and it would make them lose money. I think our message reached some of them and hopefully, in the near future, theyāll get to see the full picture.
This was the moment I realized I was responsible, and that I needed to be sitting in a place surrounded by people who matched my purpose. I wasnāt generating a positive impact, in fact, it was the contrary. I wanted to spend my time attending to real needs, making things better through design and tech.
Gratefully, Get on Board appeared in my life, but I still wasnāt sure if that was the right step to take.
So, I prepared a checklist and I did some research to see if this new job matched my purpose:
- Whatās my personal purpose (me)
- Whatās the companyās purpose and mission. Do they walk the talk?
- Do these two purposes match?
- Who do I work for? (users)
- How will my work impact users?
- Who do I work with? (team) Values? Attitude? Energy level? Curiosity?
- Whoās steering the ship? (the boss) Values? Attitude? Energy level? Curiosity?
After doing this exercise and remembering these signals Iāve just shared with you, I understood I was on track. I was aligned with my purpose. Once again I said āYES!ā
Adding to this, I want to share two things that happened after accepting my new job.
- Sergio Nouvel, CEO & Co-Founder, talking in Colombia about the importance of getting involved šš» I recommend watching it: https://youtu.be/Ic2sYXKB4aY
- Talking to our, CTO& Co-Founder, Jorge A. Rodriguez: I met him before starting off, and of course, we talked about how important it is to work in something that matters. He told me Get on Board had received a few messages saying āthank youā, from people who lived in Venezuela needing to find a job. They have found one thanks to us.
These two things confirmed that my check-list and signal observation had worked :)
This is why itās so important to do that extra work and try to find your Why, your purpose, ā why are doing what youāre doing?- I am truly convinced that although it isnāt always in our power to ādo goodā, we must at least try. Use the tools we have, to try making some sort of change or contribution. This being: sharing knowledge, making people aware about being better consumers, making companies conscientious of selling honest products and services, buff! The list can be infinite.
Iām certain that my entire journey was worth it, and that every step counted. I donāt expect everybody to share this train of thought, but I feel itās worth sharing. And well, if this helps some of you to be happier, then my goal has been achieved ā .
Iām not saying you must always prioritize purpose, and go crazy trying to find meaning, because it takes time⦠But my suggestion is that you give it a try at least at one point in your professional life. This helps you stay motivated, to stay devoted to your cause, Sunday evenings stop being depressive and Monday mornings turn out to be exciting!
So thank you Get on Board, for inviting me to join the team!