How To Find Meaningful Work in a Rapidly Changing World | Bruce Feiler

1. Redefine Personal Success

Take ownership of defining what success means to you personally, and understand that this definition can and should evolve throughout different stages of your life, rather than being fixed.

2. Conduct a Meaning Audit

Engage in “personal archaeology” or a “meaning audit” to deeply understand yourself, identifying who you want to be and what you want to do at your current life stage, rather than just focusing on career advancement.

3. Identify Your Childhood “Toothache”

Reflect on any “toothache” or persistent pain/struggle you experienced as a child, as identifying this core issue is considered the best single question to help you find work that you truly love.

4. Prioritize “Why” Before “How”

When seeking new work, prioritize understanding the “who, what, when, and why” of your desires before focusing on the “how” (e.g., resume updates), to ensure deeper meaning and satisfaction.

5. Embrace “Unright” Career Choices

Give yourself permission to make “unright” or unconventional career choices that deviate from traditional paths, as these decisions, while potentially disappointing others, are often the right ones for personal meaning and fulfillment.

6. Master Life Transitions

View life transitions as a skill that can and must be mastered, recognizing that life has become more nonlinear and involves spending more time in these transitional periods.

7. Prioritize Happiness & Family at Work

Adopt the mindset of millennials and Gen Z by refusing to be miserable or sacrifice personal happiness and family well-being for work, as this attitude drives the search for meaning and purpose in one’s profession.

8. Embrace Job Changes & Reinvention

Leverage the reduced stigma around changing jobs as an opportunity to leave a position and reinvent yourself, understanding that this is now an acceptable and common practice.

9. Expect Frequent Workquakes

Anticipate experiencing approximately 20 “workquakes” (jolts forcing or inspiring work-life changes) throughout your career, occurring roughly every 2.85 years, and be prepared to adapt.

10. Insight 10

Frame your meaning audit using the “who, what, when, where, how, and why” questions to explore your life story and identify your desired path, focusing on the deeper reasons before the “how.”

11. Define Current Life Priorities

Ask yourself “I’m at a moment in my life when blank” to articulate your current priorities, such as financial needs, family time, or desire for remote work, which informs your work choices.

12. Articulate Desired Work Qualities

Complete the sentence “I want to do work that blank” to clearly state the qualities you seek in your work, whether it’s high income, community contribution, or making a positive global impact.

13. Define Future Purpose

Articulate your purpose going forward by completing the sentence “My purpose going forward is blank” to align your future work with what truly gives you meaning.

14. Reflect on Parental Work Lessons

Ground your personal work story in the past by reflecting on the upsides and downsides of work you learned from your parents, as this provides foundational understanding.

15. Identify Childhood Role Model Qualities

Reflect on your childhood role models (excluding family) and identify the specific qualities or actions you admired about them, as this reveals deeply held values and aspirations.

16. Explore Childhood Place Preferences

Consider what places you were drawn to as a child, as these early preferences can often reveal insights into your natural inclinations and desired work environments.

17. Seek Advice During Workquakes

During significant work transitions (“workquakes”), actively seek advice, noting that the most helpful advice often comes from colleagues and frequently serves to affirm what you already intuitively know.

18. Trust Your Inner Knowing

Recognize that the most valuable advice during a workquake often confirms what you already believe you should be doing, serving as a “pat on the back” rather than a “kick in the butt.”

19. Self-Advise for Current Needs

Formulate the best piece of advice you have for yourself right now, as this self-reflection can reveal your “known unknown” and guide your current work-life decisions.

20. Share Your Transition Story

When navigating life transitions, share your story with others and seek advice, rather than going through the process alone, to gain support and perspective.

21. Write Your Work Story Draft

Utilize a structured set of 21 questions (as found in “The Search”) to write a rough draft of the work story you want to be telling, guiding you through self-discovery.

22. Embrace Nonlinear Life

Recognize that life and career paths are nonlinear, which, while potentially scary, offers an opportunity to take control of your destiny and flip the script on traditional expectations.