Career advice often revolves around three big ideas: define your values, follow your passion and find your purpose. But as Irina Cozma writes in the Harvard Business Review, “We all know following this advice isn’t as easy as it sounds.” The interplay among values, passion, and purpose isn’t always straightforward, but understanding how they fit together can help build a career that’s not only successful but also deeply fulfilling.
Values: The Foundation of Your Career Decisions
Values are the bedrock of who we are. They define the passions we pursue and the purposes we seek. As Irina puts it, “Your values are your answers to questions like ‘What is important for you in life?’ or ‘What are your nonnegotiables?’” Over my career journey, I’ve determined that my personal core values include principles like joy, integrity, growth, tenacity, and curiosity.
I’ve noticed that challenging times have a way of shining a spotlight on what truly matters to me. When adversity strikes—whether it’s a major setback, a tough decision or unexpected change—I’m often forced to rely on my core values to guide me through. These difficult moments can clarify and reinforce my commitment to my core principles. For example, amid hardship, I find that seeking out small moments of joy—a kind word, a bit of gratitude or celebrating a minor success—helps me endure and persevere. Integrity, meanwhile, becomes a stabilizing force; when everything feels uncertain, keeping my promises and staying true to my word gives me a sense of control and purpose. Similarly, tough times often push me to grow and learn in ways I might not have chosen otherwise, and approaching challenges with curiosity turns obstacles into valuable learning experiences.
Cozma recommends that you “write down the things in your life that matter to you most,” and be honest about what is truly fundamental for you, rather than just jotting down what you think would look good to others. Defining your values is an ongoing process. “It took me a year of ongoing reflection before I felt firm on mine,” she admits. But once you know your values by heart, they become a compass for your career decisions.
Passion: The Emotional Drive
While values are your compass, passion is the fuel that propels you forward. Passion is “what drives you to explore and engage in activities aligned with your values,” Cozma explains. It’s the “strong and intense emotional drive that fuels its pursuit.”Passion is what makes you lose track of time and keeps you engaged in a task, even when there’s no external reward.
In practice, you may have more than one passion. As Cozma notes, “you can have multiple passions in different areas of your life.” It’s up to you whether you pursue one as a career or nurture others outside of work. Sometimes, the path to aligning your passion with your career isn’t direct. As Cozma notes in her article, you might be passionate about music but work as an accountant; yet, by joining a music production company, you can bridge the gap between work and passion.
Purpose: The Deeper Meaning
Purpose brings values and passion together into a broader sense of meaning. It answers the question: why do you do what you do? Irina describes purpose as, “A sense of meaning and direction in life that goes beyond personal enjoyment or fulfillment” and often involves “contributing to the greater good or serving a cause larger than yourself.”
Purpose acts as a mission statement, helping you frame your career in the context of what you ultimately want to achieve or the legacy you want to leave behind. As you reflect on your purpose, Cozma suggests asking yourself, “What do I believe is the ultimate reason for my existence?” Your purpose might evolve, but when you use it in your career decision-making, it can help you make choices that are both meaningful and impactful.
When Values, Passion and Purpose Collide
It would be ideal if values, passion and purpose always aligned, but real life is messier. Sometimes, values can clash with passions or the realities of the job market. You may value financial security but feel most passionate about an art form that doesn’t pay well. As Cozma notes, you might care deeply about a cause but lack the skills or the current opportunities to pursue it directly.
In these moments, staying true to your core values becomes even more critical. There will be times when doing what is easy, expedient or popular conflicts with your principles. When faced with ambiguity, I ask myself, “Is this decision aligned with the person I want to be? Will my future self be proud of the choice I’m making today?”These questions help ground me, even when external pressures are high.
Author and Wharton professor Adam Grant captures this idea perfectly in a recent social media post:
His words remind us that career success isn’t just about reaching milestones or earning accolades—it’s about the integrity and character we bring to every step of our journey. When you choose to honor your values, you lay the foundation for a fulfilling and meaningful career. Ultimately, the most rewarding professional journey is not the one with the fewest obstacles, but the one where you can look back and be proud of the choices you made and the person you became along the way.
This article originally appeared at Wealthmanagement.com.