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As many of you may know, Extraordinary Life is a non-profit foundation that has empowered thousands of people with the mindset and tools to live successful and impactful lives. This is what we do, but it doesn’t explain why we do it.
Since starting this journey two years ago, we have been driven by a belief that work can be meaningful. In our lives, we see people around us who are suffering from the current societal perception of what work is supposed to be. Think of that colleague at the office who's been off with burnout for two months. Or a student who is about to graduate and has no direction for their future career. Perhaps a parent who has no time for their family and feels drained after a long day spent doing work they don’t care about.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Imagine work as more than a simple means to monetary sustenance; imagine it as a means to use our unique talents, to do the things that energise us, and to make the contributions that we genuinely believe in.
If we can evolve the purpose of work, imagine the world that we could create. People would wake up feeling energised each day to make a difference they believe in. Organisations would have productive, passionate people that put in 110% every day and maximise their skill-sets. The social advancements and happiness of our planet would be higher than ever before.
This may seem utopian, but I believe this future is within our reach if we really want it. The benefits of technologies that are already impacting our working lives can be immense if we harness these forces in the right way. With the automation of routine and menial tasks, we have an opportunity to make work more human. We can focus on using our creative talents, critical thinking and communication skills.
However, to achieve this future, we must start a dialogue across all areas of society; workers, students, companies and institutions alike. And we must begin now. We need to consider and develop opinions and set of measures to tackle questions such as:
How should our education systems evolve to prepare young people for a world of continuous re-invention?
How can we most effectively re-train workers whose jobs are automated so that they can pursue meaningful working lives?
How can we show that purposeful work makes sense from both a societal and profit-making business perspective?
Only by coming together can we generate answers to these challenges that will create the world we want to live in. If we idly stand by and let the market mechanism decide for us, there is a massive risk of rampant inequality and the establishment of digital dictatorships.
This leads us to proclaim that Extraordinary Life is not an organisation; it’s a movement. And it’s one that we want to shape with all of you. Let’s start the dialogue and together create the story of what we want for our working lives. If these ideas and questions have triggered you, what’s the first step you can take? Very simple; connect with me on LinkedIn and let's chat.
As individuals, we are alone and pushed around by the waves in the storm around us. But together, we can all be the captains of our ship. We can work together to navigate through the storm; emerging into a world beyond our imagination. There are many ways to join this journey; whether you share your story, attend an Extraordinary Life event, or even gain the tools from us to give a session yourself. We very much look forward to shaping the future of work, together with you.
Let’s start this movement to make work meaningful.