Purpose, Fulfillment and Relevance

Haena Beach - 2022

Kauai, HI

How Fulfilling Your Purpose in Life Fuels Your Relevance 

The personal feeling of relevance is closely intertwined with the actualization of your potential and the fulfillment of your purpose in life.

The need to feel relevant is an integral element of the human experience. It’s a desire that knows no boundaries: age, sex, race, language, geography, occupation or vocation.

It's widely experienced and yet it’s quite personal.

Why Is the Need to Feel Relevant So Important?

Because it’s inherent to our nature.

Because it’s closely related to the degree we desire to fulfill our purpose in life. To the degree that we succeed at actualizing our potential. 

This is particularly true when we serve a benevolent purpose.

How do we succeed at relevance?

Persistent Needs and Sources to Fulfill Them 

There are two sources of personal and professional relevance. The primary source arises from within ourselves. The secondary source is expressed to us by others.

It's beneficial for you to have clarity about this concept and have a good balance between these two sources of relevance.

Just as we are the source that fuels our sense of internal relevance, there’s also an external source that helps to nourish our purpose.

To experience relevance, to feel it, is a good thing. To be appreciated, valued and feel the expressed gratitude of others are healthy and powerful emotions that reinforce a sense of self-worth and purpose. These are external sources of relevance that bring forth emotions that help fuel the many motivations of our lives.

This feeling of relevance and the need for it, is present throughout our lives. It's apparent in a child who desires attention as well as an adult that appreciates recognition for a wholesome accomplishment.

The need for relevance has a wonderful stubbornness to persist as we are growing up, mature, get wiser… and certainly after the end of our careers.

Relevance…Now and in The Future

The desire to continue to feel relevant after your career transition may become more notable as you begin to anticipate it.

This takes the form of the realization that with your career transition, the feeling of relevance and fulfillment may not be as abundant as it had been in past years. This can creates some concerns.

Certainly, there’s also a joy of anticipation for what the future holds and properly so. 

These diverse feelings are distinctive and yet are intertwined.

This is true irrespective of job description, title, profession or vocation.

Prepare Now and Provide for Your Future

There are things that we have known about for years: our character, our purpose and how we choose to express it.

This very personal knowledge seems to lie sometimes dormant as we live our lives expressing it.

Beyond that, it’s at times of triumph, tragedy and transition that it’s very beneficial to reflect on your principles with deliberate purpose. 

To understand this, to be true to ourselves and apply it to the present circumstances is essential to ongoing success.

It will serve you well to achieve renewal and fulfillment in the next great phase of your life.

Reflect. Reenergize. Renew. _TM   

Updated: July 21, 2023

PS: By the way, do you want to learn more from me about how to create a positive End of Career Transition and a fulfilling life beyond? I would like to help you. I provide consulting and coaching services that are tailored to your specific needs. Click here to request an introductory conversation.

 Sunset to Sunrise - 2008

Alaska