As a HR manager and career development coach, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of entrepreneurs and employees from all ethnicities, backgrounds, levels of experience, industries and ages.

I’ve spoken to people about how to:

• Deal with a horrible boss or hostile work environment
• Strategize for a promotion or raise
• Navigate a challenging work situation
• Resign from a job without burning bridges

And the list goes on and on and on.

And even though each person’s situation seemed different on the surface, once we got down to the heart of it all, the same underlying issue kept showing up for every single one of them.

It was the same issue whether they’d just gotten laid off from their job after many years of service and weren’t sure what to do next. Or if they’d just received a negative review even though they’d tried their best all year long to jump over every hoop laid out in front of them and didn’t know how to bounce back.

What I’ve learned is that it doesn’t matter how different we think we are, when it comes to the struggles we face at work (and in life), we’re actually more similar than we think.

What’s interesting about all the people I’ve talked to over the years, is that for those who were successful in their careers and on track to accomplish the goals they’d set for themselves, there was a consistent pattern that emerged from the way they approached everything in their lives.

And for those who weren’t as successful, there was a pattern for them as well – though it wasn’t a pattern that was helping them – it was still a pattern none the less.

What I realized was that this thing – this pattern – was the single most determining factor of career success. It was the secret sauce that separated those that dream from those that do.

So, what’s the secret?

Successful people always know ‘why’ and make sure that everything they do is in line with it.

The key belief successful people hold is that everything we do must be impactful and that the only way to really thrive in life is to live it – on purpose.

They don’t believe in drifting through life.

So, what does this have to do with work?

How does this play out when it comes to your career?

Do you know why you chose the college you went to? The major you studied?

Do you know why you’re really at your current job? Your company?

Do you know how your daily tasks and responsibilities at work move you closer to your ultimate career goal?

Do you even know what your ultimate career goal is?

If you’re unsure of how to answer these questions, don’t be ashamed or embarrassed. It’s just not the way we’re taught to approach our careers. In fact, it’s the complete opposite.

When we’re children, we’re told that we can be anything we want to be when we grow up.

Want to be an astronaut or doctor? Go for it.

Want to be a writer or artist. The sky’s the limit.

But right around the time college rolls around, we’re abruptly told it’s now time to grow up, stop dreaming and that we should focus on realistic things like picking a major that’s going to land us a good job.

The goal goes from pursuing your purpose – your ultimate ‘why’ – to pursuing things.

Things like: status, money, cars, houses, etc.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wanting and having nice things, and celebrating the fruits of your labor, but there is something wrong with going after these things at the expense of your true purpose.

And because most people end up doing this, they become guilty of using the right gifts, tools, ideas for the wrong things, at the wrong times, in the wrong places.

They’re tricked into believing that since they’re doing their jobs well or that since they aren’t totally miserable, they must be OK. That pursuing purpose is overrated and not realistic or something that matters in real life.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Do you know that you should be doing something more fulfilling, but you just can’t seem to put your finger on what it is?

If yes, then you are not alone.

This is why my approach to career coaching is to 1) help you figure out what your ‘why’ is, 2) search for habits within daily life that aren’t aligned with your ‘why’ and 3) help you create a new set of habits that will bring you closer to the type of career you want to have.

Pursuing a career that is purposeful, productive and profitable isn’t difficult, but it does require work. It also requires you to be serious about taking responsibility for your life and what happens in it.

It requires you to commit to pursuing purpose – your ‘why’ – instead of things.

Get this right and it changes everything.

But only if you’re serious about setting goals that are impactful and deliberate.

If you are, then you should click here to download the free Find Your Purpose blueprint. Yours free, today! In this guide, you will get clear on:

• Who you are
• What you want
• Why you want it

It’s time for you to have more than just a job. You should have a purpose. Don’t waste another moment feeling unfulfilled about what you do for work.

Download your free copy here.