Intrinsic Purpose
Dimension 5 : Intrinsic Purpose
For some of us—seemingly more and more all the time—we are expanding the realm of our worklife to include our higher aspirations and concerns in life. Work is becoming an ever greater expression of who we are.
This is where the 5th dimension, Intrinsic Purpose, becomes an important motivation in your worklife. It’s about you making a difference and helping create a better future.
The 5th dimension articulates a level of purpose that goes beyond work for work’s-sake, beyond the affinity and existential benefits you garner from work. At this level you are more inner-directed and autonomous in your worklife, with a deeper understanding of who you are, your place in the world, and what truly matters to you.
Intrinsic Purpose is about bringing your whole self to the work, becoming more self-revealing, expressing your authentic self and your greater concerns and aspirations. It’s about you using work to achieve things that are closer to your heart and more meaningful than mere material gain.
Analysis
If your highest Purpose Score, or one of your highest, is in the 5th dimension, then you are highly motivated to make a positive impact in the world through the work you do. Being in service of others and using work to positively impact the world are essential ingredients of your work. You believe your worklife can be so much richer and more fulfilling than just earning a decent salary.
So while you remain motivated to earn a living, connect with others, and be the best you can be, you are also motivated by what might be termed a “higher calling”. You realize that your worklife can be a conduit for the change you want to see in yourself and in the world.
Increasingly, your worklife is evolving from a ‘way of doing’ to a ‘way of being’. You engage in activities that truly matter to you in a deep and profound way. You are not afraid to bring your whole self to work as you no longer need the validation of others to know who you are. As a result, you likely have high self esteem and are familiar with self-love.
Recommendation
No longer confined by the strictures of society and culture, nor the desire to look good and seek external validation, you are more motivated by an inner drive to do what you believe is in the best interest of your expanded sense of community and the world.
At the level of Intrinsic Purpose you see the importance of work in living a full and rich life. Work is a way to create more meaning in your life as it becomes a fuller expression of who you really are.
So while your identity is coming more from who you are, not what you do, it is useful to review other dimensions where you also scored high. Intrinsic Purpose does not sit alone. It is supported by the levels of purpose further down the pyramid. Take a look at those levels to see how they can potentially be used to provide even better support to your Intrinsic Purpose.
You may also take a look at the 6th dimension, Transcendent Purpose, to see how your worklife can potentially be even more fulfilling as you explore ways to use it as a conduit to helping solve the world’s wicked problems.