Do you know why it is you do what you do? Sometimes it’s hard to identify that, but I think it’s really important to understand why you do what you do. Since I find that to be high up on the list, and I also get asked this question a lot, I’m going to share a bit of my story with you here.
In my life, it seems to be a trend that I’ve made big decisions with somewhat of “blind faith.” When I decided where to go to college and what to major in, I only applied to and looked at one school. When I got my first job after college, I didn’t do any other interviews. When I got my first apartment after college, I only looked at one place. When I decided to leave the church I had been at for the longest period of time in my life, I did it without questioning. And the list goes on.
When it came time to leave the current job I was at, go out on my own and eventually start Bobolink Creative, it came as no surprise to me how it all went down. The short version is, I was at a company where I had great colleagues, I was able to do a ton of different work, I had learned a tremendous amount, had great clients and was able to grow the department I was in quite a bit. Sounds great, right? So why leave? By the end of my time at the company, it had gotten to the point where being there simply wasn’t healthy for me professionally or personally anymore. It was somewhat of an abrupt close to my time there, and when I left, I left with zero plan.
For me in my life, my Christian faith is very important to me, and my relationship with God drives my decisions. I didn’t really have a plan or know what would be next on the horizon for me, I just felt like God said it was time to move on, so with “blind faith,” I left. Would I apply for another similar job? Would I end up moving? I truly didn’t know.
Ok, so being fresh off of quitting my job with no plan on the other end, at first glance, starting Bobolink might just seem like a path I stumbled on because I needed to make some money. After all, I was young, I didn’t have much in savings, I didn’t have a husband helping with the income, and the bills don’t stop, right? The thing is, though, much like the other major decisions I had made in my life, I made the decision to start Bobolink with blind faith. I didn’t really have a long drawn out business plan. All I knew was that God was directing me toward this path, and the details on the other end would come as I go.
Being in, now, the fifth year of my company, I can look back and see how the details of this plan have been coming together as I go.
You see, I’ve always been a behind the scenes type of person. I’ve been in plays, I’ve sung and played on stage, I’ve played sports in front of crowds, I’ve conducted meetings and even given a few speeches, but if I’m really being honest with you, I would prefer to fly under the radar. I’m great at being on the stage crew. I’m always finding myself, somehow, on the tech team. I’m the editor of the video, not the talent. I’d rather set up the party than be the life of the party. The thing that’s common to these types of roles is that, in them, I want to be involved, but I would much rather promote someone else in the process. I would much rather help you do your thing than I do mine.
I’ve always liked to help people. I remember my grandmother once telling me that I was always very helpful as a kid. It’s not really something that you think about, but it was kind of cool to hear as an adult, that the quality of being helpful has been engrained in you, your entire life. And even now, beyond the basic versions of helpfulness one might think of as a kid, my desire to help people has grown. I want to impact people’s lives in meaningful ways and make a difference.
If you read any business books or listen to industry leaders, you’ll see a common piece of advice is that discovering what you’re meant to do is a cross between what you’re good at and what you enjoy/love doing. Since the day I made that “blind faith” decision, I can see how that idea is exactly true. For me, I’m good at being behind the scenes, and I love helping people. With Bobolink, I work with people every day to use the right technology the right way, so that they can impact lives through their businesses, organizations and passion projects. I’m able to be behind the scenes with the technology, and I’m able to help people and impact lives by helping each of my clients do what they are meant to do. For me, that is the best of both worlds!
So why do I do what I do?
I do what I do because I trust that God is directing my path.
I do what I do because I am a behind the scenes person, and I would rather be the battery in your flashlight than the lightbulb.
I do what I do because I want to help people, and making your lightbulb shine impacts lives in a way I never could (or should).
It’s important to know what you do, but it’s more important to know why you do it.
Now, tell me, why do you do what you do?