Worklife balance is the strategy. Worklifejoy is the feeling that comes from it. It's the target.
Over the past year, like the lives of so many others, my own life and business have gone through some major transformations. So I too have needed to make some adjustments.
In our work lives, that space where our passion, purpose, and profit intersect is often called the sweet spot. It's the "how" of the worklife balance strategy. That is where worklifejoy lives.
So what's the difference between passion and purpose?
Your passions are those things that you enjoy most about your career and life. These are the things that you get excited about doing. That fuel your motivation.
Purpose includes those things that you are good at doing. Those things that people tell you you’re good at and come to you for help with.
Then, we all know what a profit is. Profit is what people are willing to pay you money to do. And in your sweet spot, profit often comes from those actions, tasks, and projects that appear on both the passion and purpose lists.
Discovering my own passions
Ever since high school, I’ve had a love of psychology and a desire to help people understand themselves and others, even if I didn’t initially know how I would go about making it happen and how to make that desire pay the bills. So I majored in psychology in college and went out to use my new “people skills” in industry. I then continued my education years later getting a PhD in business psychology. Helping people in and out of the workplace was a passion.
Then, I have also always been naturally drawn to technology and electronics, especially small ones. From an early age, gadgets were my happy place and I was always an early adopter. For me, it was a passion.
Throughout my career I enjoyed helping create memorable guest experiences in the hospitality industry (passion), I enjoyed helping people communicate their thoughts visually through websites, graphic design, and online systems (passion), I have enjoyed coaching individuals on issues both within and outside the world of work (passion), I enjoyed helping clients understand their brain and physical health through wellness products and services (passion), and even as a blogger, Forbes contributor, and MSN syndicated writer, I enjoyed communicating through written word to help people understand themselves and each other (passion).
I loved doing all of these things! But which of these passions were in my sweet spot?
Discovering my own purpose
In the 8th grade we were given the ASVAB armed services qualification examined and I scored high in the electronics section to the point where recruiters were calling the house. My parents were like “Uh no... she’s only 12”. That technology skill was something they told me I was good at. Was it a purpose?
Years later, I also worked in a family business helping with all things website and technology related. I seemed to know (or figured out) how to do all of those things they needed to be done, and they said I was good at it.
Even as a member of a community service organization where I served for several years as the chair of the technology committee, some thought I worked somewhere in the tech industry because I seemed to have a nack for it. And they said I was good at it. But was tech my purpose?
And it seemed that my writing was not bad either. My PhD dissertation committwe and subsequent article editors said I was pretty good at it.
And as a coach and wellness professional I have been fortunate to have received wonderful feedback from clients!
But how did all of this fit together? Where would I find my worklifejoy—that place where MY passion, purpose, and profit hang out together.
How I Found My WorkLifeJoy
What I found was that several key things were hanging out together in my sweet spot
Love and skill for helping people understand themselves and others
Love and skill for using systems & technology
Love and skill for writing
Therefore, I created Coach2GO, a digital coaching program designed to help people understand their patterns of thinking and the thinking of others. I also work as a behavioral health coach for Ginger/Headspace Health. In my role I provide mental health and wellness coaching to individuals via an innovative text-based platform. So by leveraging my love of technology, my writing ability, and my love of helping people feel better, I am able to live in my sweet spot, that place of feeling worklifejoy.
See how I did that? You’re turn!
I’m Dr. Melanie and I help people in business every day to understand the patterns of their thoughts so they can use their thinking strengths to help train and improve in the thinking dimensions that aren’t as strong.
