The Meaning of 'Meaning'
February 2020
For a long time I’ve thought about exploring the concept of ‘meaning’. Luckily I’m not foolish enough to take on this task in its entirety as many of the great philosophers have done. I would however like to take a shot at exploring the idea of meaning with regard to our working life.
Doing meaningful work isn’t a new idea - yet it seems to be the ambition of more and more people. The 80,000 hours movement was created to encourage people to “help solve the world’s most pressing problems” - but surely this isn’t all there is to it. This article will propose what I believe to be the key determinants of meaningful work.
Enjoy
Can anything else justify doing something that you don’t enjoy? In some sense everything else becomes irrelevant. It is difficult to be a happy person without enjoying your work. However important enjoyment is though, finding enjoyable work can be a significant hurdle for a lot of people including myself. So how do we find something that we enjoy? “Learn voraciously” is advice form Sam Altman (former Chairman of Y combinator). Similarly, Patrick Collison (Stripe CEO) has the following suggestion: “Go deep on things. Become an expert” and “aim to read a lot.” It isn’t an overnight process but dedication to learning and trying different things is the best way to discover what you really enjoy. This is still the case if you’re in a job that you don’t like - use it to discover what you do and don’t like doing. Could you roll out a new sales process or improve a product?
Excel
If you are fortunate enough to have found something you enjoy, then aim to excel at it. It’s important to think big but according to Ray Dalio there are exceptions, like “playing center on a professional basketball team if you’re short, or running a four-minute mile at age 70.” So if you can reach the top of a given field, how do you make that happen? Well, working hard is important, but so is working smart. Working hard is fairly straightforward but how do we work smart? Learning to code, writing or building a business can all be aided by books and the internet, to name only two resources. The great Warren Buffet also weighs in with some advice: “It’s better to hang out with people better than you.” Whatever it is that you want to excel at, seek out people who are better than you at it.
Purpose
You’ve found something that you enjoy, you’re getting pretty good at it, but is there a purpose to it? This is where the existential questions kick in. Is what I’m doing important? Am I changing things for the better? These are anxiety-inducing questions that can be difficult to answer. So what’s a healthy way to approach them? Firstly, one can ask: “is my work about more than myself?” A second question could be: “is what I’m doing having a positive impact on society?.” Developing talent, inspiring others and pushing boundaries are all ambitions larger than oneself. Positive impact can also come in many forms, some of which may surprise us. For example, I happen to believe that Ray Dalio (founder of Bridgewater Associates) has had an immensely positive impact on society. Bridgewater Associates has created tens of billions of dollars of value for clients which include pension funds, charities and university endowments. But what if you excel in your job and enjoy it but don’t think it has a real purpose? Firstly, you have the option of doing something outside of your day job that has a positive impact. Secondly, you can hone your skills and build your network before leveraging your experience to change to something more purposeful.
Money
Thinking more about purpose brings us to the elephant in the room, money. While money alone can’t give you meaning, it can certainly help you get there. Let’s go back to the scenario where you enjoy your job, you excel in it but now you add a lucrative pay cheque into the equation. This puts you in a fortunate position with a few options. Firstly, you are able to save a significant amount of money while looking for a more purposeful endeavour. For example, this could be building a Startup to solve a problem\*. Once you’ve found a project, you have the financial freedom to fully devote yourself to it. Secondly, you can follow the effective altruism mantra and donate a certain percentage of your salary to a ‘highly effective charity.’
Doing meaningful work can take time but I think it’s something we should all aim for. Not only will it help you achieve success but it will make the journey more enjoyable. The sooner you start off in that direction, the more success you can achieve.
*Y Combinator - “Request for startups”: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs/#r1