When the Spark Feels Dim, Can It Be Rekindled?
There’s a moment many of us face — sitting at our desk, staring at the same screen, thinking: “This isn’t exciting anymore.”
It’s a heavy thought, one that can quietly drain your energy and sense of meaning. But here’s the truth: this feeling isn’t a dead end. It’s a crack in the pottery of your work life — and cracks, in the Kintsugify ethos, are where the gold begins.
Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with powdered gold, doesn’t hide the damage. It highlights it, making the repaired object more beautiful and valuable than before. To kintsugify your work life is to embrace your emotional or motivational “cracks” and fill them with metaphorical gold — self‑compassion, growth, and renewed purpose.
“This isn’t exciting anymore” can be kintsugified into: “This is my invitation to rediscover what lights me up.”
Other common mantras that can be transformed:
- “I’m just going through the motions.” → “I’m ready to bring intention back into my day.”
- “I’m not making a difference.” → “I can choose actions that matter to me.”
- “I feel invisible here.” → “I can self‑kintsugify by showing up in ways that reflect my worth.”
- “I’m stuck.” → “I’m standing at the doorway of possibility.”
Your purpose isn’t lost — it’s waiting to be uncovered, repaired, and made radiant.
What Does It Really Mean to Find Purpose at Work?
Finding purpose at work isn’t about chasing a perfect job title or waiting for a lightning bolt of inspiration. It’s about aligning what you do with what matters to you — your values, strengths, and the impact you want to have.
Think of your work life as a handcrafted vase. Over time, it may develop hairline cracks — moments of boredom, frustration, or disconnection. These aren’t signs of failure; they’re signs of use, of living. The act of self‑kintsugifying is choosing to fill those cracks with gold, making your work life more meaningful than before.
For example, a teacher who feels drained by routine might micro‑kintsugify her day by introducing a five‑minute creative exercise for her students. A software engineer feeling unseen might macro‑kintsugify his career by mentoring junior colleagues, creating a legacy of guidance.
Try this now: Write down three things you value most in life. Then, list one way you could bring each into your workday — even in a small way. Purpose often begins in micro‑kintsugifies that ripple outward.
How Can You Recognize Your Current Kintsugification State?
When you’re trying to find purpose at work, it helps to know where you are in your kintsugification journey. These are fluid, temporary states — you can move between them, and none are beyond repair.
- Cracking: Small frustrations or doubts appear, like hairline lines in a vase. You might think, “I’m not as motivated as I used to be.” This is your early gold‑potential moment.
- Splitting: The gap widens — you feel a growing disconnect between your work and your values. You might avoid projects or disengage in meetings.
- Crumbling: Pieces feel loose — your confidence or joy is breaking away. You might dread Mondays or feel your contributions don’t matter.
- Shattering: Everything feels in pieces — burnout, deep dissatisfaction, or a desire to walk away entirely.
Action step: Identify your current state without judgment. Then, ask: What’s one golden thread I can weave in today? Even in shattering, a single thread can begin the repair.
Why Do We Lose Our Sense of Purpose in the First Place?
Purpose can fade for many reasons: repetitive tasks, lack of recognition, misalignment with company values, or personal changes that shift what matters to you. Sometimes, it’s not the work itself but the way we’ve been relating to it.
Imagine a vase left in the same spot for years. Dust gathers, light shifts, and its beauty becomes less noticeable — not because it’s gone, but because we’ve stopped seeing it. Similarly, your work may still hold meaning, but it’s hidden under layers of routine and neglect.
For example, a nurse who once felt deeply connected to patient care might feel buried under paperwork. By self‑kintsugifying — perhaps by starting each shift with a moment of gratitude for one patient interaction — she can begin to polish the gold again.
Try this now: Reflect on the last time you felt proud of your work. What made that moment meaningful? How can you recreate even a small part of that today?
How Can Kintsugifying Your Mindset Transform Your Workday?
Mindset is the lacquer that holds the gold in place. When you kintsugify your mindset, you stop seeing cracks as flaws and start seeing them as invitations.
Take the mantra “I’m stuck.” Instead of resisting it, you can kintsugify it into: “I’m in a moment of stillness before my next movement.” This reframing shifts you from frustration to curiosity.
A marketing manager who felt invisible in her role began a self‑kintsugifying practice: each morning, she wrote down one way she could contribute visibly that day. Within weeks, her energy shifted — not because her job changed, but because her perspective did.
Action step: Choose one negative mantra you’ve been repeating. Write it down. Then, beneath it, write its kintsugified version. Keep it visible at your desk as a reminder of your potential gold.
What Small Shifts Can Bring Immediate Purpose Back?
Purpose doesn’t always require a career overhaul. Often, it’s found in micro‑kintsugifies — small, intentional acts that reconnect you to meaning.
Examples:
- Start your day by setting a one‑sentence intention.
- Take five minutes to acknowledge a colleague’s effort.
- Reframe a routine task as part of a bigger picture.
A customer service rep once told me she began ending each call with a genuine wish for the customer’s day. It took seconds, but it transformed her sense of connection.
Try this now: Pick one task you usually rush through. Slow down. Notice its details, its role in the whole, and the people it touches. That awareness is gold in the making.
How Do You Align Your Work With Your Core Values?
When your work reflects your values, purpose flows naturally. Misalignment, however, can feel like trying to repair a vase with the wrong kind of gold — it won’t hold.
Start by identifying your top three values. Then, look for overlaps with your current role. If creativity is a value, can you bring it into problem‑solving? If service matters to you, can you volunteer for projects that help others?
A project manager who valued learning began hosting monthly “skill‑share” sessions at work. It didn’t change her job description, but it infused her days with meaning.
Action step: Write one sentence that connects your role to a core value. Example: “As an analyst, I bring clarity to complex problems, which aligns with my value of making life easier for others.”
How Can You Use Connection to Strengthen Purpose?
Isolation can erode purpose, while connection can kintsugify even the most fractured workday. Relationships at work are like the gold seams that hold the repaired vase together — they add strength and beauty.
Reach out to a colleague you admire. Share a challenge and invite their perspective. Offer help without being asked. These acts create a web of gold threads that support you both.
For example, an introverted designer began having weekly coffee chats with teammates. Over time, her sense of belonging grew, and so did her enthusiasm for projects.
Try this now: Send a quick message to someone at work expressing appreciation for something specific they’ve done. Connection is a fast‑acting kintsugifier.
How Do You Sustain Purpose When Challenges Return?
Purpose isn’t a one‑time discovery — it’s a practice. Cracks will reappear, and that’s natural. The key is to keep your kintsugifying tools close: self‑awareness, reframing, and intentional action.
Think of it like tending a garden. Weeds (challenges) will grow, but regular care keeps the flowers (purpose) thriving.
A nonprofit director kept a “gold journal” — a list of moments that reminded her why she did her work. On hard days, she’d read it to reignite her motivation.
Action step: Start your own gold journal. Each day, jot down one moment of meaning, no matter how small. Over time, you’ll have a reservoir of purpose to draw from.
How Can You Self‑Kintsugify Beyond the Workplace?
Finding purpose at work is deeply connected to how you live outside of it. If your life beyond the office is depleted, your work purpose will struggle to shine.
Engage in activities that nourish you — hobbies, relationships, rest. These are like adding gold reserves to your repair kit.
For example, a lawyer who felt burnt out began painting on weekends. The joy and creativity spilled over into her legal work, helping her approach cases with fresh insight. Her renewed energy was a form of macro‑kintsugification — a large, intentional infusion of gold that strengthened both her personal and professional life.
Try this now: Choose one activity outside of work that makes you feel alive — reading, hiking, cooking, volunteering. Schedule it into your week as non‑negotiable. The more you nourish yourself beyond the office, the more gold you’ll have to pour into your workday.
How Do You Become Your Own Kintsugifier at Work?
A kintsugifier is someone who actively seeks out the cracks — not to dwell on them, but to transform them. Becoming your own kintsugifier means taking ownership of your work experience, rather than waiting for someone else to fix it.
This could mean initiating a conversation with your manager about aligning projects with your strengths, or self‑kintsugifying your workspace with objects that inspire you. It might mean micro‑kintsugifying your lunch break by stepping outside for fresh air instead of eating at your desk.
Picture yourself holding the lacquer brush, choosing where to apply the gold. You decide which cracks to fill first, and how to make them shine.
Action step: Identify one “crack” in your work life that you’ve been ignoring. Write down one small, immediate action you can take to begin filling it with gold. Then, commit to doing it within the next 24 hours.
How Can You Keep the Gold Flowing Over Time?
Purpose is not a fixed treasure you find once and keep forever — it’s a living current. To keep the gold flowing, you need ongoing self‑kintsugifying practices that adapt as you and your work evolve.
Consider creating a “purpose map” — a visual reminder of your values, strengths, and the ways you bring them into your work. Update it regularly. Or set a monthly reminder to reflect on what’s working, what’s cracking, and where new gold can be applied.
A sales director I know keeps a jar on her desk. Each time she experiences a moment of meaning — a client breakthrough, a team success — she writes it on a slip of paper and drops it in. On tough days, she reads a few to remember her gold.
Try this now: Choose one ongoing practice — a journal, a jar, a map — to track your moments of purpose. Let it be your personal gold reserve.
The Gold Is Already in You
You don’t have to wait for the perfect role, the perfect boss, or the perfect project to find purpose at work. The gold is already in you — in your values, your strengths, your capacity to connect, create, and contribute.
Every crack you’ve experienced — every “This isn’t exciting anymore,” every “I’m stuck” — is an opening for light and gold to enter. By kintsugifying your mindset, your actions, and your connections, you can transform even the most fractured workday into something strong, beautiful, and uniquely yours.
Your vase may have cracks, but it also has infinite potential gold. And every time you choose to self‑kintsugify, you’re not just repairing — you’re creating a masterpiece.
Begin Your Golden Repair
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