Does your work still feel meaningful?
After my husband passed away, I eventually returned to my job as an Outdoor Environment Controller at a large housing company in southern Sweden.
My workplace was wonderful. I had caring colleagues, a supportive manager, and work tasks that I had genuinely enjoyed for years. Yet, despite all of that, I felt completely lost.
I knew my work was important. I knew it mattered that contracts were followed, that residential areas were well maintained, and that people trusted me to do my job.
But I simply couldn't find any meaning in it anymore.
I still remember one day when I was walking between two residential areas as part of my work. I called a close friend and stopped beneath a tree on a grassy field.
"What I'm doing at work doesn't feel meaningful anymore," I told her.
It wasn't because I had a bad or unimportant job. It was because I had changed.
When we go through a life crisis, our perspective on life often changes. Things that once felt important can suddenly seem insignificant. At the same time, something new may begin to grow within us, even if we can't yet put it into words.
For me, it was a growing desire to work more closely with people. I noticed that the moments when I felt most alive were the ones where I could help someone find hope, direction, or the courage to take the next step.
It wasn't a decision that happened overnight. It began with a quiet feeling that something no longer felt right.
Today, I meet many people who describe the very same experience. They wonder whether they chose the wrong career or whether it's time to change jobs. Sometimes the answer is yes, but more often, it's about something else.
It's about finding meaning.
Meaning in what we do and how we do it. Because whether it relates to our work or our personal lives, we all need to feel that the time and energy we invest truly matter.
If your work no longer feels meaningful, don't just ask yourself whether you need a new job.
Ask yourself who you have become since you first chose this one.
Maybe it isn't your job that has changed.
Maybe it's you.
Elin Debora Brixson
Certified Coach & Speaker
I help you find new paths forward