This ExtraOrdinary Life

Today is a special episode. The tables are turned and Kevin is the one being interviewed by the talented and lovely Amy Robles. The talk through the ins and outs of the Navigating North Summit, and what makes it so very special. The all-star lineup, the involvement of charity, and the opportunity to find your purpose.

Jeff Goins is the best-selling author of five books including The Art of Work and Real Artists Don't Starve. Jeff believes we all have a creative gift to share with the world – our art. Today, Jeff and Kevin take a behind-the-scenes look at tribe as it relates to purpose and passion.

Thom is an author and a brilliant mind when it comes to purpose, meaning, gifting, and opportunity. He and Kevin talk about some topics on how to use your gifts, and more importantly, how to FIND your gifts.

Joe Pine is the author of The Experience Economy and several other books. He and his partner Jim head up an organization that teaches businesses not just to sell, but to be the authentic, experience-based organizations that speak to customers' wants and needs. How does purpose play into this? In every single way.

Garry Ridge is the CEO of the WD40 company and author of Helping People Win at Work, a Business Philosophy Called Don't Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A. Garry tends to take a contrarian position on business and purpose at work, but he's also very practical.

Julie Bauke doesn't mince words when it comes to having purpose at work. Her book is Stop Peeing on Your Shoes, and in it she talks about the seven mistakes that will screw up your job search. The title sounds like just another career advice book, but as it turns out, Julie communicates so much more than just how to land a job. She and Kevin discuss how your purpose should drive your work, and how to find purpose IN your work.

• Julie is the Chief Career Happiness Officer… not just of her own job, but of the universe. She believes it's possible for anyone. She talks about how many people have high degrees of career happiness, a shocking number, and she talks about what career happiness is. The simplicity of it might shock you.
• Julie digs into each of the four criteria in the Career Happiness Formula that lead to career happiness. She also talks about the correlation between purpose and happiness, and what happens when people's focus isn't on the actuality of purpose, the metrics, the meaning.
• Leadership is essential – you don't leave a job; you leave a boss. Julie and Kevin discuss some of the other reasons your job might not be right for you, and how your sense of purpose might be withering where you are. Have you ever said something like 'I don't know what I want to do, but I know I don't want to do this'?
• You can't always jump from where you are to where you want to be. Often it happens in a series of steps toward that goal. When you're looking for purpose at work, one of the best things you can do is look for that next step when the big leap isn't available yet.
• Every 'yes' you've committed yourself to is also saying 'no' to something else. You must cultivate the ability to say no to things that aren't in line with your purpose and goals, so that when the opportunity you want comes along, you have enough room for a big yes.
• Career success and career happiness don't always correlate. Julie goes into insightful detail on the trappings of money and titles, lifestyles, and how difficult it can be to walk away from it. You have to ask yourself: is appearing happy more important than being happy?
• Purpose at work isn't always exactly what you think. Perhaps your work is a means to an end: it gives you the paycheck you need to pursue your purpose in your free time. That's not something to discount; it's just as valid as intertwining your purpose with your work.
• Julie lost her husband 9 months ago. She talks about the way she dealt with the loss. Like everyone else, she grieved. It was hard to move on. Learn how Julie did it, and what motivated her to do it.

If you feel like you don't have purpose at work, or you want to clarify your purpose at work, we have a free 5-day email course you can take with daily challenges and action steps to help bring the meaning you are meant to have into your everyday. Go to kevindmonroe.com/workpurpose.

You spend a third of your life working. Have you thought about that? What about when you add commute time? How about those times you sit there when you aren’t working, but you’re thinking about it? Are your thoughts darkened on the weekend by the knowledge that Monday is coming? It shouldn’t be, and today Kevin talks about how to find purpose in your work.

Danielle Strickland is an officer in the Salvation Army, an ambassador for Stop the Traffick and Compassion International, and the author of five books. She’s a wonderful speaker, and her depth of faith in insight in the Bible will delight you.

Every once in a while, when you scanning your email, there’s a subject line that jumps out at you. Even more so when it’s from someone you know, and goes against what you know about them. Today, Kevin talks with purpose-driven Dan Miller, whose headline said simply, “I’ve drifted from my why.” Discover how Dan drifted from his purpose, and how he got back on track.

Paul Sohn has just released his latest bestseller, Quarter-Life Calling. Today, he joins Kevin as they discuss being driven versus being called. They also discuss what to do when you’ve reached a point in your life where you feel like you should have a calling, but don’t.