YOUR PURPOSE TEST RESULT
“Service”
You are here
#Realisation of Need
#Noble Duty
#Value In Action
What Your Result Means
DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE ON THE PURPOSE TEST
You are currently at the interface of “the world needs it” and “you are paid for it”, which suggests that you are actively invested in a cause that matters to you and that this is monetarily valued. Just because you have scored this result I know it’s safe to say this: thank you for your work. I hope you feel deeply appreciated and seen by your friends and colleagues.
Since the spheres which you scored significantly lower on are the more personal, motivation-related ones, this suggests that you may be in a place of asking yourself “what’s in it for me other than cash?” or “is this really what I want to be doing for the rest of my life?”.
Or perhaps you simply don’t yet value joy and mastery as useful elements of a career, giving prevalence to the structural elements of work?
Keep reading to see what has held other people back at this stage plus some practical advice for moving forward, assuming that you’d like to have a stroll towards a purpose-driven career. Remaining where you are is an absolutely valid choice.
Also, please know that this test represents a snapshot of your right now and does not attempt to establish any kind of typology. I invite you to read on with a curiosity.
What’s Holding You Back
MEET YOUR BULLSHIT MONSTERS®
No matter which stage you’re at, we all have a little voice in our heads that tries to keep us safe by keeping us un-extraordinary. I lovingly call this self-deprecating chatter “bullshit” and it’s best dealt with by visualising it as coming from a little monster, a bullshit monster!
Stern Blade
People who find themselves in Service frequently encounter Stern Blade, a monster that looks like an innocent blade of grass but don’t be fooled, for this military head of the lawn leaves a foul aftertaste in your mouth as it makes a blatant case for ordinariness, reinforcing your fear of being different. Its motto is: “Proving your strength of character means staying put.”
It wants you to stay where you are, preferably in an orderly manner and without attracting too much attention. Its aim is to keep you from being curious, from learning new things or from being playful. In order to do this, it might appeal both to your sense of righteousness and your fear of being ridiculed.
Floral Agony
Or you may encounter Floral Agony, the mistress of self-abandonment under the guise of doing good and generously giving to others.
Floral Agony likes to show up in moments when it would actually be time to sit down and sort out your affairs. She’ll waltz in like a heavily-scented good samaritan and carefully suggest that your plans seem rather selfish, opportunist even. Her speciality is to guilt you into over-giving. Spend a while with Floral Agony and you will have said yes to mentoring seven people for free, working eight days for a non-profit and baking nine cakes for a good cause.
If you have the audacity to challenge whether this is a good idea, Floral Agony will dramatically gasp, clasp her petals to her mouth and look so cutely aghast, you’ll be on your way to the grocery store for more flour.
IS THERE ANY WAY YOU CAN STOP DOING THINGS YOU DISLIKE BY DELEGATING THEM OR GIVING THEM UP?
HOW CAN YOU NOURISH YOURSELF WITH THE THINGS THAT WOULD KEEP YOU GOING?
What to do?
I’d love to tell you to dream and play. A lot. But considering where you are, that’ll probably feel difficult, useless, or wouldn’t directly translate to any concrete and practical output for you.
So instead, I invite you to take a deep breath (or ten) and then do a written rant. Grab a piece of paper and make two columns. On the left side, answer the following questions: Which parts of your work would you like to be freed of? Which tasks annoy you? What wears you down?
Once you’ve drained your mind of absolutely everything heavy, move over to the right side and see if you can determine opposites. How does less dreariness equal more lightness? Which tasks would you prefer instead? What lifts you up? Then, consider your list. Make a few statements: “I want less…and more...”. Just making this statement and having that clarity can lead to change.
If you’d like to take concrete action the reflection questions could guide your way.
It looks like you’ve been giving a lot and it wouldn’t be surprising if you were exhausted. Please consider taking good care of yourself to prevent further exhaustion. The world needs you healthy and you need yourself healthy. That would be a win-win-win! Remember how you’re supposed to put your oxygen mask on before helping others? This applies to our flight to purpose too.
And now what?
Go and be your brilliant purpose-driven self. You are on your path even when it doesn’t feel like it!
Plus, I’ve got your back. I’ll be in your email inbox in the next few days to help you contextualise your results and put them into action.
All you have to do is give me permission to land in your inbox by confirming your subscription. If you can’t find the email, check your junk folder and whitelist me.
With ease and confidence,
Anaïs
Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll be getting
Why asking yourself “what’s my purpose?” is one of the most useless ways of going about working with purpose (even if you really want to know)
What to do instead
How to deal with Bullshit Monsters® when you meet them out in the wild (procrastination, fear of ridicule, perfectionism - I’ve got you covered!)