Years ago, my sister worked as a nurse in the emergency department. I can’t remember the exact details, but she was working on a young boy who they unfortunately couldn’t save. As she walked through the waiting room, to go outside for some fresh air and to try and process what has just happened, a dad sitting with his sick child in the waiting area started yelling at her because they have been waiting for over an hour to see someone.

That same day, I ran a requirements workshop on Procurement processes.

I remember when she told me, apart from feeling terrible for what she and all other nurses and doctors have to deal with, I wondered what purpose my day had. I showed people how to create a purchase order.

I think about that day often. Since then, I try to find the real reason that makes what I do important. Without purchase orders the hospital cannot buy the beds and the medical supplies they need to help people. Or in my current role, helping companies have successful projects means praise for the people involved in the project, on both sides, which could have an impact on their career and/or income, not to mention all the benefits gained by the company going through the transformation.

I find this way of thinking gives me a sense of purpose, a basic human need, but it also elevates my thinking from “This is just a job” to “This matters to someone” which gives me the energy and motivation to try and do that little bit better.

My advice is if you get to Sunday night and start to feel the dread of having to go to work on Monday, find the bigger meaning behind what you’re doing in your current role.

Michelle x