Your journal prompts this week:
What do I associate with the word "purpose"? Where do these associations come from?
If someone asked me what my "life purpose" is, how would I respond?
How has my view of my purpose changed over time? How might it continue to evolve?
I worked in the corporate world long enough to know that they absolutely love their jargon and buzzwords. Even years after leaving, there's one phrase that I still find rather grating: "Fit for purpose." For example, that presentation or proposal or project plan is not “fit for purpose." It doesn't fit the need or request.
I learned of this phrase at the last corporation I worked for, when a new HR leader came on that was one of my bosses. (I had to report to two bosses in two different departments at this job, HR and Marketing, which was red flag number one.) This leader started using this phrase in meetings and soon it was all over the HR department. "Is this fit for purpose?" someone would ask after reviewing a project or task. "It's important we know all the details so that what we create is fit for purpose."
I tried to Google the phrase because I knew it likely came from a book or a popular corporate conference speaker. Honestly, I wanted to know which "expert" came up with this one and had made it the latest bad executive catchphrase. It seemed to originate from the IT world and manufacturing, but I'm not completely sure. Regardless of its origin, the point is that people in corporate love to repurpose phrases that were used in another, more appropriate context, and then overuse them to the point that they lose all real meaning.
But the real reason this phrase goes beyond a mild annoyance for me is due to it being turned on me during my last two weeks at this job. This company was about to go through a "transformation" (which is corporate speak for a restructuring and layoffs, a common occurrence at all my corporate jobs), and I was tasked with writing these letters that would go into the packets of employees after the reorganization. This included people who were kept and people who were let go. An outside consultant (because this company also loved using outside consultants) gave me the templates they thought I should work off of. I followed the guidelines but also did my best to not make the letters completely heartless. I then sent them off for review.
The next day, my HR boss sent my Marketing boss a very curt email, telling her that they needed someone on the marketing team to help them work on these messages right away because the ones they had received were not "fit for purpose."
My Marketing boss, who received this email, didn't know I had actually written the letters. So she responded and cc’d me on the email, saying something like, "I'm bringing Marcy in. I'm sure she can help you, she's still here for another few days."
I was quite embarrassed when I saw what my HR boss had thought of my work. I don't completely remember my response (I do remember having to take a few minutes to cool down after reading it and compose myself), but I think I just acknowledged I had written the subpar letters, and said if someone would like to explain to me why they weren't "fit for purpose" and what was needed instead, I would help before I left. But if they felt I had missed the mark, perhaps someone else on the team could be of assistance. And then I probably closed it with something like "All the best, Marcy."
Of course no one ever responded. Even if I hadn't recently quit, I'm not sure they would have known how to tell me what they were looking for anyway.
I share this story not just because I'm clearly a little bitter and like to point out how silly corporate life can be. I am talking about it because I think the word "purpose" has become a buzzword beyond the corporate setting, and it often trips us up. This is because something or someone’s purpose isn’t always so easily or clearly defined—at least not in a way that we can all agree on or say with certainty. After all, who decides what someone or something’s purpose is? Who has the right to own that decision?
On a personal level, we can have a lot of stories around this word. We can get stuck in this cycle of searching for purpose. "What is my purpose in life?"and "Am I fulfilling my purpose?" are common questions people ask themselves, coaches, psychics, and spiritual leaders.
I heard the best answer to this question recently, and it was from Rocky Heron. He's talked about it on his Instagram and in his mentoring sessions. He said that he recently realized "being myself is my life purpose."
Like so many things we obsess over in life, the answer is so simple and right in front of us, but with all the clutter and noise, we often can't see or hear it. We also have a tendency to seek these answers outside of ourselves, which can lead to more confusion.
I am guilty of letting the outside world influence my view of my purpose. I took that statement said about my work many years ago to mean that I somehow was not "fit for purpose." I had spent real time on that project, so it was extra embarrassing to me. If I couldn't get that right, what else was I messing up?
But in reality, it was just one moment in time when my work didn't fit a purpose someone else had defined. And the truth is that in the corporate world, I was NOT fit for purpose, and I realize now that's something to be proud of. That's not a world in which I want to be fit for purpose.
But me as a person, living my life right now? Of course I'm fit for purpose! Because every day now, I get to be ME. I don't have to fit into anyone else's box anymore.
What do you associate with the word "purpose" and do you think you're fulfilling your purpose? If you're being true to yourself, then I'd say, yes! We do not have to attach ourselves to someone else’s definition of purpose.
During my yoga teacher training, yoga therapist and author Ann Swanson said, "You are the leading expert in your own body," and unlike “fit for purpose,” that statement has stuck with me in a good way. We are ALL the leading experts in our own bodies, minds, and souls. Own it and don't let anyone else declare themselves the expert on you, your path, or your "purpose."
Feel free to share any insights from your journaling!
With much love and gratitude,
Marcy
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