Finding Meaning In Your Work
Through our work with business owners, we've learned so much about what makes a company truly successful. What makes a business flourish, stand out, last a lifetime or more?
We've come to find that it really boils down to HOW you define "success." The businesses we admire most all have this in common. While important, their definition of success doesn't rely on productivity or profit margins. Success is instead defined as a life of meaningful work. The small businesses that lead, design, build, connect, and pursue with heart are the businesses that seem to find the most meaning in their work. And meaning is where the success really lies!
So how do you find meaning in your work? How do you develop meaningful work habits and create a culture of meaningful living within your team? Here are a few ways we incorporate meaning here at Copperheart based on what we've learned from the small business we admire.
1. Look for ways to help & support.
This can feel obvious when it comes to developing meaning in your work, but while it's easy for some, it's harder for others. Make it a habit or build these intentional moments into your routine. Take stock of your team each day and ask yourself how you can go above and beyond.
Look at your clients and check-in to see how else you can be serving them today. Where can you give back? Where can you volunteer, train, teach, speak, or love on others? Find ways to give back to your industry through service or support and watch what it does for your heart and overall morale!
2. Show gratitude abundantly.
Want to create a meaningful culture full of heart? Show gratitude. Show it daily. Show it hourly. Show it in abundance! Find little ways to thank your team. Be intentional about how you thank your clients or customers. Is it a handwritten note inside a package? A follow-up call simply to check in on a service and say thank you? Maybe it's a client gift that is unexpected and unrelated to a holiday, a "just because" surprise. Gratitude is the way to content and meaningful work environment and life!
3. Connect deeply.
This is one of our favorite paths to meaningful work here at Copperheart! Connecting with business owners on more intimate levels helps us to serve in deeper ways. The connection also expands our grace and sometimes even makes those awkward or difficult conversations easier and more productive. Connection shows your clients and customers that you care about them as a person, not a paycheck. It will breathe life into your work and bring so much heart into your daily to-do's and projects.
These are just three simple ways to bring more meaning into your work, but there are so many more! For the next week, we challenge you to look for ways to connect, show gratitude, to support your team and customers. Watch what it does to your heart and your enthusiasm. Watch how it transforms your team and your customer relations. It's just a more fulfilling way to live. Look for the meaning. It's where the magic lies, and it's where true success is ultimately found.