Meaning
- 1 minYesterday we took part in a workshop which was geared towards us discovering our personal values and to find out which ones of those we share between us. I quite enjoyed the process. There were certainly some interesting insights for me.
One of the common values that came out of this process was that we all want to do work that matters. Work that is meaningful. I think what’s different though is what meaningful means to each person.
I might find the code I’m writing boring but still find meaning in the impact that code that I’m writing has. Someone else might find the impact is not that meaningful but the problem she is trying to solve with code is interesting enough to provide some sort of meaning. Some sort of purpose. Meaning can be found in the relationships between the people you work with. Perhaps the individual components of a project (code, impact, etc) are not that interesting but the journey as a whole is.
It is very important to do something that you enjoy. It is important to find some sort of meaning in your work. The key I believe is to not limit your search scope into one area only. Don’t use the code as the only measurement. Don’t use just the team. See a project or a task from all different angles and try to find the one that provides you the most value. Focus on that. There’s always a lot to be learned.
Personal blog of Makis Otman