Pursuing long-term progress in anything that you consider worthwhile and losing yourself in it, without the greed or need of any external reward like money or fame, is the key to long-term well-being and fulfillment.

• Work, even if we find it unpleasant, provides us with meaning, purpose and structure in our lives. This is because we get a sense of identity from our work.
• Advances in technology and automation are threatening to displace more than half of jobs in the coming years.
• As jobs k...

Since the 16th-century Protestant Reformation spawned the work ethic, many believe that the job gives meaning, purpose, and structure to their lives. More than 50 percent of American workers today “get a sense of identity” from their job.

The key to a meaningful life seems to be thinking less about ourselves and instead to focus on others by performing acts of kindness, like volunteering, mentoring, coaching or writing someone a letter of gratitude.

To live a significant, worthwhile life, one has to do something beyond oneself. The two ways to transcend oneself outside of work are:

Research shows when people pursue an activity for the sake of the activity itself - and not for any external reward, like money or fame - they tend to report long-term well-being and fulfillment.

Aristotle wrote that the fundamental part of a meaningful life is found in mastery, be it art, intellect, or athletics. Pursuing excellence is not always pleasant and requires exertion, not constant entertainment.

Meaning may be found in self-transcendence (or devoting one’s efforts and energies to something beyond oneself).