Author Alex Banayan's tips to help employees find their purpose amid the Great Resignation
Employees from Google, Disney, Bank of America and Pfizer have tried the challenge
College graduates to corporate executives have sought out author Alex Banayan's 30-day Clarity Challenge to gain a sense of direction in their careers at times when they felt most unsettled.
For many of them, it was when the pandemic started two years ago and "life's big questions came knocking," Banayan, bestselling author of "The Third Door," told FOX Business.
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Unnerving thoughts of "What am I doing and why am I doing it?" filled peoples' minds more than ever before, and it made many people think that something in their life needed a "radical change," according to Banayan.
In some cases, that may be the answer, he said. Banayan opted for a radical change in 2012 when he decided to leave the University of California and embark on a seven-year journey interviewing the world’s most successful people about how they cultivated their careers.
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In some cases, though, it could "mean that there's something that you haven't been acknowledging to yourself or that there's something that's unsaid or a desire that isn't being met," he explained.
The purpose of the 30-Day Clarity Challenge isn't to solve someone's problems, according to Banayan. Instead, it gives "people an infrastructure to help them understand what is actually going on in their lives, which will then give them clues to point them in the right direction."
It's not a road map, it's a compass, he says.
Author of "The Third Door," Alex Banayan. (Banayan International LLC )
Banayan has shared his five-step challenge, which he cultivated during his seven-year journey, with countless individuals, including employees at MasterCard, Disney, Bank of America, Google and Pfizer.
These are the five steps:
1. Get a new notebook and write "30-Day Clarity Challenge" across the cover.
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2. Open your calendar and choose a 15-minute window where you can commit to doing this exercise at the same time every day for 29 days. Keeping your notebook somewhere prominent will help, he said.
3. Every day, you need to answer the same three questions in your notebook: What filled me with enthusiasm today? What drained me of energy today? What did I learn about myself today?
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4. Write your answers in complete sentences, not bullet points. There are no requirements for length. If you don't have an answer to a specific question one day, write about why you may not have an answer.
5. The 30th day is the graduation ceremony. And for the final entry, you need to carve out an hour. But this time, you should make it festive, like going to your favorite cafe or a beautiful park. Use the hour to read your prior entries, reflecting on the patterns. Then write your 30th entry. This time the questions change to: What filled me with enthusiasm this month? What drained me of energy this month? What did I learn about myself this month?
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Banyan says the last three answers should be clear and concise. More importantly, these final answers will be the clues that will help point you in the direction of your path.
The formula is simple: "Clarity leads to awareness and awareness leads to growth," which is what people are truly aiming for, according to Banayan.
"Everyone thinks they want success," he explained. "But what ends up happening is they achieve the thing they always wanted, and they wake up a few weeks later wondering what's next."