Do you find yourself going through the motions with your work? If you’ve lost sight of your passion or if your role has always just been a source of income, a way to change your mindset is to find meaning and purpose in what you do through the power of connection.
“The best way to connect is to own our story, share our story, and put that out there,” says Lauren Sisler, an Emmy-winning ESPN sportscaster. “I think our lived experiences really shape us and help us to be who we are, and ultimately give that to someone else, almost this permission to say, ‘Hey, own your story, no matter how good, how bad each and every chapter is.’
Sisler will share her story and the experiences that have helped her create a happier workplace during the Closing Main Stage session at ELEVATE on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 11 a.m.
During her keynote, she will emphasize the importance of having a ‘shatterproof’ mindset and resilience.
“When they’re able to finish up the conference, this gives them that final little jolt of momentum going out, taking what they’ve learned in the conference,” Sisler says. “My goal is to uplift people and empower them to go out and really just own their stories and own whatever it is they’re going through.”
Sisler says that everyone has dealt with the stigma of shame when something in their life has gone wrong or is not working, either in the past or currently.
Practically lived out, owning your story means attacking adversity head-on rather than shying away from the negative things in life.
“I think it’s creating a shift in your perspective,” Sisler says. “Rather than seeing your challenges as a setback, it’s more or less stepping into those stepping into those fears, stepping into those challenges.”
Injecting Joy Into the Job
Sisler says that it is important to find ways to inject joy into your job; otherwise, you can end up going through life on cruise control.
“I think that when you find joy in the job, it builds your confidence,” Sisler says. “It builds your resilience, and it builds your ‘want to.’ Your ‘want to’ go out there and do better. Your ‘want to’ go out there and impact the world and impact others, whether that’s in your nine-to-five job or outside of that realm. I think that when you inject joy into the job, it ultimately allows you to find significance and confidence in your own personal lives.”
Even as a sideline reporter, where a lot of people would be impressed by her job and who she gets to interview, Sisler says, for a time, she found herself simply cashing a paycheck.
She says that you can become a prisoner to your 9-to-5 job but when you find your purpose, you realize there is much more significance to your job.
“I recognized that it’s so much more than the wins and losses, so much more than the big-time interviews with the big-time coaches, that it’s the stories and it’s the impact that those have,” Sisler says. “When you see that ripple effect, that’s when you realize that you aren’t just cashing a paycheck, that there’s purpose in that.”
Sisler notes that professional landscapers have a notable job because their work creates beauty, peace and tranquility for others to enjoy. She says they also have the opportunity to increase the health and well-being of others.
“You’re dedicating yourself to someone else’s peace, someone else’s joy, and I think there is joy in that because that ties back to the whole idea of it’s not just a paycheck,” Sisler says.
Ready to inject joy into your job? Register for ELEVATE and we’ll see you in Charlotte, North Carolina!
