What Drives You?
How does your quality of life impact your business?
In an increasingly busy and chaotic world, stability has become a precious commodity. How do you find stability in a market that can change in the blink of an eye where the skills you learn are obsolete as soon as you’ve mastered them?
Pam Slim, award-winning author, business coach and creator of the blog Escape from Cubicle Nation believes she has some of the answers.
Your body of work extends far beyond your resume, she says. You are everything you do in life. For an individual, your body of work is everything you create, contribute, affect or impact. It is the story of your life and everyone you’ve interacted with along the way. For a company, it is everything they have contributed during their history, whether it is their products, services, idea or values.
The route to a successful body of work begins with defining your priorities. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to create new technology to make people’s lives better? Help alleviate world hunger or change the course of a particular industry?
Why do you want to achieve these things? What drives you, motivates you? What do you believe in, and what values do you want to leave behind? Understanding these things can help keep you strong and disciplined when you face challenges along your path. They give your body of work meaning not only to others, but also to you.
When you undertake a new venture, whether it be changing careers or starting up a new business, it is important to ask yourself these questions:
- What do you want to create? Is it programs, products, content, or perhaps something less tangible like relationships or reputation? Name it. Describe it in detail.
- Who is it for? Imagine them and describe them in detail. Why would they want what you have to offer?
- Why does it need to be accomplished? Why are you doing it? What benefits will you derive from its completion? What benefits will others derive?
- What will you need to accomplish it? What information and skills will it require? What resources do you already have?
- When does it need to be finished? Set a goal for yourself and make a deadline. Structure your new venture around your deadline and work backwards.
- How does your new venture fit into your overall body of work? People usually experience far greater satisfaction when their work aligns with overall story of their life.
Pam writes: “The quality of your life is directly related to the quality of your stories. Tell them well.”