Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/354830
36 BRAVA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2014 AUGUST 2014 BR NE .OLLY8ˬLSHHˬDITˬLLINTERESTINGJOB great husband, happy kid with another on the way. She had few complaints and was generally happy with the life she had CREˬTED#UTLIKEMˬNY8ˬLSHFOUNDHER self wondering if things could be better. $OULD SHE BE HˬPPIER MORE FULǠLLED MORE SˬTISǠED 4HE CRˬVED ǢEXIBILITY spaciousness and a sense of control over her time. Libby Gerds had walked away from a professional career to start her family. She was happy personally staying home with her newborn, yet wondered if she COULDǠNDˬWˬYTOBEˬMOMˬNDˬLSO do meaningful work she was passionate about. She, too, thought maybe there was more out there for her, and wondered HOWTOǠNDITˬNDHOWTOBˬLˬNCEHER home and work lives. As a life coach and consultant, I hear this story all the time—and actually lived it myself a few years ago. Happy fam- ily, professional success and satisfaction, a life that I felt truly lucky to have and many would, I realized, admire. But there WERESTILLTHOSENˬGGINGFEELINGS$OULD* BEHˬPPIER $OULD*BEDOINGSOMETHING BETTERˬLIGNEDWITHMYPˬSSIONS 8ˬS* TRULYLIVINGMYPURPOSE For some, their life purpose is clear and obvious. For others, it takes some time and thoughtful work to determine where TOFOCUSENERGYTOǠNDTRUEFULǠLLMENT plus trial and error to discover how to live a life aligned with personal values and a GREˬTERPURPOSE8ˬLSHˬND(ERDSFOL lowed the latter path—together—toward satisfaction and success. 8ˬLSHTOOKˬLEˬP4HELEFTHERJOBTO spend time with her growing family and later was inspired to build a business doing what she loves. She and Gerds be- came business partners and together they CREˬTED(ROUNDWORK$ONSULTINGˬPROJECT management and event consulting com- PˬNYŀ EYINTENTIONˬLLYDESIGNEDTHEIR business, considering everything from the company's structure to their roles, expectations, time and interpersonal communication strategies, in a way that would allow them to control their own schedules, feel present for their families andENJOYTHEIRWORKTREMENDOUSLY *UNDERSTˬNDǠRSTHˬNDTHESOMETIMES UNCERTˬINBUTREVELˬTORYJOURNEYOFTHESE two coaching clients. I left full-time employment to become an entrepre- NEURJUMPINGINTOMYTRUEPˬSSIONSFOR COˬCHINGˬNDCONSULTINGŀ ERESULT -IKE 8ˬLSHˬND(ERDS*HˬVENEVERBEENHˬP pier. My work is meaningful, exciting and allows me to spend quality time with my family. Indeed, research shows that having a sense of purpose and focusing on attainable goals increases life satisfaction. 8HˬTWETHREEHˬVEINCOMMONISTHˬT we are now living every day in alignment with our most deeply held values—and THISISˬTTHECOREOFǠNDINGYOURLIFEPUR POSEŀ ˬTˬLIGNMENTOFˬCTIONSPURPOSE and values creates a sense of calm and en- ergy that makes work feel like fun and life MUCHMOREENJOYˬBLE Finding your purpose may mean quit- TINGˬJOBORSTˬRTINGˬBUSINESS0RITMˬY be as simple as approaching your day-to- day with a new perspective, or constantly checking if how you spend your time matches with what is most important to you. Finding that alignment can take you from simply going through the motions, to infusing more passion and energy into your work and life. Find career inspiration with BRAVA's Women's Leadership Workshop with Darcy Luoma, Aug. 13. See p. 12 for more details. ǠNDPURPOSE ŞƣŧőƭŧƭŷŧƉźűŧǃƕƱmƼŧźƏőŲźƐŧŤ BY DARCY LUOMA