Why are you here?
Deliberately injecting the nutrients that stimulate us to become more satisfied with our work life have the potential of creating the right conditions for a sense of purpose to arise.
Much like greenhouses nurturing the dynamic relationships between people and their constantly shifting moods, our offices can either help germinate the seeds of connection or stop them in their tracks.
At Lab, we are deliriously fascinated by the human element and often discuss the most ridiculous subjects: the exhilaratingly slim chances of us being alive (1 in 400 trillion), the theory that you may be just a brain in a vat or even the meaning of consciousness. As crazy as it sounds, this is what we talk about on our lunches, on our way to meetings and (cheekily) sometimes even in meetings - when we end up leaving the office at 7 pm after two hypnosis sessions and spontaneous group therapy. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Reluctantly wrapping up these fantastically left field conversations, we then head back to our desks to tackle the ever-rising tide of spreadsheets, emails and slack messages. After such big-picture, introspective moments, the sentiment of these conversations bleeds into the rest of my day and I end up looking around the office asking myself the ever-recurring question:
Why am I here? Is it because my sense of purpose drew me here or was it life’s inertia?
As much as I would like to start a philosophical discussion about the implications that this question has in the wider context of our personal lives, let’s keep it within the bounds of our shared workspace. The question I am asking here is, Why am I in this room? Why am I doing this job? What is the sentiment that drives me to get out of bed and make my way to this desk every single morning? Why am I here?
During my recently completed year of working at Lab, I have felt this ambivalence very strongly. I have had bad days and good days. Days when I felt like I was wasting away my life as well as days when I felt like the luckiest Romanian soul to ever land in London. Meetings when I felt completely connected with those around me as well as meetings when I could feel myself completely switching off.
After applying our principle of self-awareness (in essence developing a mindset that prioritizes understanding what triggers specific behaviours), I began to notice a pattern of conditions that come together when I feel energised, connected and generally like I am in the right room - and you might find that you can relate:
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I am understood Are my interactions authentic and from the heart?
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I am creating meaningful work Are we creating something that is changing the world?
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I am inspired Are there exciting possibilities in the future?
So my question to you is, Why are you here? Think back to a time when you were ridiculously, audaciously, impossibly happy with your job. What happened that day? Who was around? What opportunities were peeking over the horizon?
Take a second to break the code of your own fulfillment and hack into your psychology. Instead of waiting for your purpose to magically appear, consciously create it. Reclaim your power.
P.S. This is Albert Einstein’s liberatingly simple response to a fan letter asking him what the meaning of life is:
So how do you create your satisfaction?