As I reflected on 2023 and planned for 2024, I struggled to answer the prompt on purpose and meaning.

Simon Sinek advocated for businesses to identify their purpose in Find Your Why because the why inspires employees to work for them and customers to buy their products. Dr. Laurie Santos (The Happiness Lab) talked about how employees who find purpose and meaning at work are more engaged and perform better at work and are happier with their lives.

I've worked in several organisations in consumer products, technology, insurance, and consulting. Many have purpose statements. But the purpose of a business doesn't necessarily translate to the purpose of an employee. While they may sound nice and make sense for the business, they've felt generic and corporate to me, and I don't feel particularly connected to those purposes.

Instead, I find more purpose and meaning in creating change and transforming the business through my work, which is independent of the business's purpose.

But... I don't think that's my life's purpose or meaning.

As per happiness research, I find joy in relationships and connections, flow and accomplishments, experiences, and so on. I enjoy reading, learning, and sharing, and I value the experiences I've had through my hobbies and interests, such as climbing, flying, scuba diving, hiking, travelling, and making YouTube videos. These are all part of me and my life, yet I'm not sure they are my purpose.

Over the past few months, many big/OG YouTubers have retired, burned out, downsized, taken a break, or made changes. Many have said they loved being a YouTuber, and it’s their dream job, but it’s still work, and they still struggle with balance and fulfilment. What they initially chose as their passion and purpose, which have given them business, financial, and social success, eventually succumbed to the stress of the business.

Perhaps this is a universal struggle. We have well-known concepts such as quarter-life crisis (age 18-30s), midlife crisis (age 40s-60s), and existential crisis (any age).

Ultimately, our work doesn't matter in the end. When we die, we cannot take our money with us. Legacy doesn't matter to us when we're in our coffin. Our relationships, experiences, and accomplishments are ephemeral and can only be enjoyed in the present while we're here.

So I wonder... do purpose and meaning matter? What do you think? Please comment below or message me. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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I'm organising a salon dinner on 20 Feb 2024 (Tuesday), and the topic will be "Purpose, Meaning, and Happiness". Here are some questions I'm interested in discussing:

• How do you think about purpose and meaning in life?

• What brings you happiness, joy, and satisfaction in life?

• Do we need purpose and meaning to be happy and content in life?

If you're interested in joining this salon, please message me. You can sign up for the salon mailing list here to be notified about future salon dinners.