Why do we get up every morning to go to work? This is a fundamental question that every professional eventually asks themselves at some point in their career. While there is an obvious answer—“to earn a salary to pay the bills”—it is rarely a convincing one. In reality, people continue to dwell on the matter, searching for deeper motivations.
This is almost certainly because they suspect there must be something beyond financial gain (which is, admittedly, an essential and legitimate driver) that justifies dedicating their lives to a company, a profession, or a trade. That “something more” is purpose.
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Mark Twain famously said that the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. Human beings require a compelling reason for their actions, a motive powerful enough to align with their values, interests, and desires. That motive allows us to set an objective, which in turn provides the blueprint for a plan to achieve it.
Understood in this light, purpose marks the boundary between truly living and merely surviving. This distinction is nowhere more evident than in the world of work. Professional life can be approached in various ways. One is the clock-watching model, where a person simply goes through the motions like an automaton, fulfilling their duties until the end of the shift without the work leaving any lasting impression. Provided the tasks are completed correctly, there is nothing inherently wrong with this transactional approach.
Alternatively, one can work with a true sense of purpose; a mindset where one is fully aware that their effort has a positive impact on their surroundings. This might affect other people, the environment, the community, our personal growth, or the planet itself. It is the knowledge that, through our labour, we are contributing to leaving the world a little better than we found it. This is a potent motivator that transforms work into a much more meaningful and rewarding experience.
Work can be undertaken with a sense of purpose; that is, with the awareness that our efforts will have a positive impact.
Abraham Maslow was among the first organisational experts to explore the psychology of workplace motivation. In 1943, he published his celebrated theory, Maslow’s pyramid, which posits that humans have a five-level hierarchy of needs to be met at work. At the summit of this pyramid, Maslow placed self-actualisation, which he defined as “a justification or a valid meaning to life through the development of an activity,” a concept that anticipated the modern sense of purpose.
Later, at the turn of the century, Edward Deci and Richard Ryan bolstered this idea with their Self-Determination Theory (SDT). They established that intrinsic or autonomous motivation—that which arises from the satisfaction inherent in the task itself—is more powerful and enduring than extrinsic motivation, which relies on external rewards such as a salary.
Since then, numerous studies have delved into the professional benefits of purpose. For instance, the report “Purpose at Work: The Strategic Role of Purpose in Driving Employee Well-Being and Organizational Performance” found that a high sense of purpose translates into lower stress levels, greater job satisfaction, and a superior work-life balance. Greater resilience, lower rates of absenteeism or staff turnover, and improved performance are other benefits associated with purpose that are well-documented in business literature.
A profound sense of purpose translates into lower stress levels, greater job satisfaction, and a better work-life balance.
Purpose is not an optional extra to be added for performance points; it is a vital necessity. In his book “Man’s Search for Meaning”, the Austrian philosopher, psychiatrist, and Auschwitz survivor Viktor Frankl argued that the search for meaning is the primary human drive. Those who lack it in their professional lives either find it impossible to implement in their current role, or have yet to discover what truly moves them.
Companies are not blind to the professional benefits of purpose, and many are now helping their employees to find it. One method is to define a clear corporate purpose, allowing workers to identify with the brand and find common ground between the company’s raison d’être and their own.
Many organisations have defined these underlying reasons for their existence and distilled them into precise mission statements that serve as a compass for the entire organisation.
Ultimately, having a purpose in life is not only about seeking meaning; it is a way of transcending the self and leaving a legacy. Because, truth be told, no one wants to pass through life without leaving their mark.
Ramón Oliver is a journalist specialising in employment, economics and sustainability, topics he has covered for outlets such as El País, El Economista, OK Diario and Capital Humano. He currently contributes to Vozpópuli, La Vanguardia and Ethic Magazine, and is the editor of the specialist website MetaEmpleo.