Squiggly Careers #470 Squiggly Short: Why ‘Finding Your Purpose’ Might Be Holding You Back

Release Date: March 27, 2025
Hosts: Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis (The Squiggly Career)

Episode Overview

In this Squiggly Short, Helen and Sarah challenge the pressure to “find your purpose” at work and offer a more approachable, actionable framework for connecting with what makes work meaningful. Rather than obsessively searching for a singular, all-defining purpose, they advocate for a focus on “purposeful work” and finding your unique “Squiggly Career Sweet Spot.” The episode provides practical reflections and questions to help listeners make better career decisions, boost motivation, and remove anxiety around purpose.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Problem with the “Purpose Pressure”

• Research Context: McKinsey reports that while 85% of people feel some connection to purpose at work, only 65% can clearly articulate it.
  ([00:02])

• Hosts Highlight Anxiety and Guilt:

  • Many listeners worry they should have a clear purpose—even after years in the workplace.
  • People feel unsure if their curiosity about diverse topics is “wrong” or if it’s a problem when their purpose differs from their company's.
  • “There’s this like, purpose pressure.” — Sarah ([01:41])

• Helen and Sarah’s alternative view:

  • It’s common, normal—and even refreshing—not to have a perfectly clear purpose.
  • “No and no. I feel like we’re really the exception to the rule.” — Sarah ([00:37])
  • It can feel abstract or disconnected from daily work; having a shared company purpose doesn’t always align with personal purpose.
  • “Where’s my individual take on that? It doesn’t feel quite unique to me...” — Helen ([01:30])

Why Aim for “Purposeful Work?”

• Reframing Purpose:

  • Focus on what purposeful work means to you, not just ticking a purpose box.

• Three Reasons Purposeful Work Matters: ([02:19])

  1. Better Career Decisions: Acts as a filter for future choices.
  2. Motivation on Bad Days: Helps you remember why your work matters, even when it’s tough.
  3. Deeper Commitment: Provides a sense of care, motivation, and commitment beyond just “enjoying your job.”
     “If we don’t go beyond that, I wonder if we are missing a bit of a trick.” — Helen ([02:56])

The Squiggly Career Sweet Spot Framework

A tool to reflect on what makes work feel meaningful to you – rooted in both internal and external factors.

Internal Elements ([03:05])

• 1. Values:

  • What motivates and drives you? What matters most?
  • Example values: freedom (“being unconstrained about my choices”), achievement (“lots of wins along the way”).
  • “If you have not done work on your values, do not worry. We have a free toolkit... we will link that in our pod sheet.” — Helen ([03:30])

• 2. Strengths:

  • What work gives you energy? What do you want to be known for?
  • If unclear, ask colleagues: “When do you see me at my best?”
  • “Just remember, strengths are your choice. So it is your decision about what you want to be known for. Just take their answers as some data for your development.” — Helen ([04:13])

External Elements ([04:23])

• 3. Improvement:

  • What do you want to make better through your work?
  • No right or wrong answer; it could be making processes efficient, improving writing, making things more useful, etc.
  • “I am really driven by what we do, being used and useful.” — Sarah ([04:40])

• 4. Impact:

  • What do you care about that is bigger than you?
  • Could relate to your organization, your industry, a group, or the wider world.
  • If it’s something neither you nor your company can achieve alone, you’re thinking big enough.
  • “A good question here, I think to think about is like this is something that you can’t achieve alone and probably your company can’t achieve alone.” — Sarah ([05:43])

Practical Experiment & Resources

• Helen mentions testing the “squiggly sweet spot” as a guinea pig in their full-length episode, using ChatGPT to turn insights into a concise statement.
  • “If you want to learn a little bit more about what that told us... give it a go, make sure you listen to that full episode.” — Helen ([06:21])
• Listeners are encouraged to check the podcast notes for the free toolkit on values.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “No and no. I feel like we’re really the exception to the rule.” — Sarah ([00:37])
• “There’s this like, purpose pressure.” — Sarah ([01:41])
• “Purpose becomes a problem rather than something that helps us progress in our career, which is what we really want.” — Helen ([02:12])
• “If we don’t go beyond [enjoying your job], I wonder if we are missing a bit of a trick.” — Helen ([02:56])
• “Just remember, strengths are your choice. So it is your decision about what you want to be known for.” — Helen ([04:13])
• “A good question here... is this is something that you can’t achieve alone and probably your company can’t achieve alone.” — Sarah ([05:43])
• “We hope you found that useful and that maybe you’re a bit more purposeful at work as a result.” — Sarah ([06:39])

Episode Structure & Timestamps

• 00:02 – Introduction to topic & McKinsey statistic on purpose
• 00:37 – 01:41 – Personal reflections on why purpose feels abstract or pressured
• 01:41 – 02:19 – Listener questions and the “purpose pressure” in the workplace
• 02:19 – 03:05 – The value of focusing on purposeful work (why it’s useful)
• 03:05 – 04:23 – Internal elements: values and strengths with practical tips
• 04:23 – 06:21 – External elements: improvement and impact
• 06:21 – 06:39 – Reference to further resources and sign-off

Summary

This episode challenges the conventional wisdom that everyone should have a clear, grand “purpose” at work. Helen and Sarah normalize uncertainty, encourage a broader, more personal sense of “purposeful work,” and empower listeners to use the “Squiggly Sweet Spot” framework to discover what really energizes and motivates them. The tone is practical, reassuring, and refreshingly anti-perfectionist—a must-listen for anyone feeling stuck or anxious about “finding their purpose.”