I recently attended the Women of Silicon Valley roundabout event and the question “What is your North Star?” is one that stuck with me, so I Googled it and was surprised to see the words “life’s purpose” and “true calling” appear.

Growing up and then working within the corporate world for nearly a decade I have always viewed work as a means to an end, “I want to go on four holidays this year, I want a new car, I want, I want, I want…..”, and in order to achieve this I go to work, do what is required and at the end of the day I retreat from work mode into my “real” life. Writing this feels strange because of the hours I work, and for years and years I was hell bent of separating work life from my “real” life. However, as I sat at this conference listening to these women from different walks of life, different levels and career paths it suddenly clicked – work is my life. 

We spend more hours at work and with people we work with than our own friends and family, so ensuring you are content in the work you do must be something we need think about, right? Which leads me nicely into “What is a North Star?”.

A person’s North Star can be a guiding principle or goal which helps provide some sense of direction. Applying this to your work-life, especially if you are wanting to build a career, feels like a sensible step, but where do you start? 

Keep it simple and start by writing down your personal values, such as honesty, integrity and compassion. Take some time to think about your career goals and see how your personal values align with the work you are doing day to day. Focusing and linking everything back to your core values is going to help give you the direction and sense of commitment towards your personal growth and self-improvement, such as learning a new skill, developing a new habit, or overcoming challenges. 

Bringing in personal goals and values as an aspect of your working life can change your outlook, and make achieving those higher goals more attainable.  

Alka Kumar

Head of Platform Delivery at CoreStream