Finding the Why
Purpose. It’s the reason we keep going and one of the hardest things to place into words. You’ll hear things like passion, journey, motivation, and drive. Whatever you call it, purpose is the why behind what you do in life. In fact, knowing your why can be the first step in finding your what.
As said in my first post, I spent over ten years in the hospitality and food & beverage industry. After I left my last hotel job, I really wanted to figure out my next moves. I was in a new city, had just experienced a break-up, and I was unhappy. What kept me in the industry was no longer a good enough reason to stay. My anxiety was doubled, I had lost a lot of weight (partially due to being vegan), and I just wanted to find my purpose.
I went back to the drawing board and focused on my two passions: health and wealth. I had realized early on, growing up in lower/working class and not having access to healthcare past the age of 24, that a fulfilling life starts with a roof over your head and food at the table. So I listed all of the careers that I thought I wanted to do or had some experience in and set out to find a new career from there.
I won’t bore you with the details with that process, but I will say is that I managed to focus more on the health and wellness side. I ended up working for a chiropractor,’s office a new age wellness center, and a massage therapy clinic. I was even enrolled in massage therapy school! And then the pandemic hit and I was out on the curb. I knew this was not the time to start a career touching people, so I needed to pivot once more.
Luckily ,I had a friend who needed a little help with remote work freelancing, so I was underemployed while I decided on next moves. I began to ask, how can I use my love for health and finance to better the world? But the question wasn’t how, it was why? Why do I use my love for health and finance to better the world?
The summer of 2020 was a time of protests, political shifts in power, and the DEI Movement; as I like to call it. Although I’ve been very angry with how people are acting like the need for change is this new phenomenon, I have to admit that the many initiatives I see within the DEI Movement are what carries me to try everyday to succeed.
My why is that physical/mental and financial health brings about social and economical equity and equality. And as a Black, queer, poor girl, it’s something I always strive to have. It is something I want all of us to have.
Knowing my why has led me to human resources. As a business student, I dreamed of providing jobs and opportunity for my community as an entrepreneur. But it dawned on me that as a HR consultant, a recruiter, a career coach, I could help many more find their own career and learn the skills to earn a promotion or raise. And I could play a part in offering better benefits that appeal to a diverse group of people; benefits like mental health co-pays, meditation and stress management, and family leave.
So what is your why? Knowing why your heart is in something, why you strive to be your best, can help you determine what you want to do as a career.
