At first, joining the working world after leaving college often seems like a permanent end to happiness. Then after a few years of fumbling around, you realize that without work, then real, lasting happiness is actually pretty impossible.
You discover that work ethic is not some sort of cultural construct, but a necessary part of our evolution and our survival. We were born to strive, to hunt, to win.
We were not born to sit on our butts and wait for life to come to us.
We are incredible beings. But work is central to our humanity, and to deny this, is to deny our own humanity.
On his first day as CEO of Microsoft in 2014, Satya Nadella’s first email to all employees talked about exactly this:
“I truly believe that each of us must find meaning in our work. The best work happens when you know that it’s not just work, but something that will improve other people’s lives. This is the opportunity that drives each of us at this company.“
Happiness is about living a fulfilled life- finding meaning in your chosen endeavor is an essentiality.
