The case against finding your purpose at work

The future of work is experimental

One morning last week, I was sipping coffee at a quiet café, when my friend said “My work is meaningful and creates impact but sometimes I just want to open a coffee shop, make coffee, smile to people, and go home.”

Sometimes I also dream of working in a coffee shop, but unfortunately it doesn’t pay the bills.

My friend is in her 40s and has lived all over the world, from the U.S. to Japan, working as an international school director shaping educational programs. Now, settled in Portugal, she works remotely coaching other educators in her field.

Lately, I’ve noticed how many of my conversations keep coming back to the topic of "work”. Whether it’s the overwhelming amount of it, the lack of it, or the need to find a new path altogether.

Something I’ve been reflecting on is the pressure our generation created around the idea that work must be purposeful, impactful, and world-changing. We were told that work is not just what you do, it’s who you are.

It's a beautiful idea, but in practice I wonder how much pressure it adds to the choices we make and the paths we follow. What happens when those paths no longer feel right? Yet we often resist changing direction because we've built our entire identity around what our "purpose" is supposed to be.

But if we spend most of our lives working, shouldn’t work feel meaningful?

I do believe that meaning is essential. In work, in relationships, in hobbies. It’s a crucial part of living a coherent and fulfilling life that feels aligned with who we are.

But meaning and purpose are not the same thing.

My critique is about the idea that we need to find one single purpose in life, and that this purpose must be fulfilled through work. The promise is that once we find it, we will live “happily ever after”.

When work becomes the center of our lives, not just in hours spent but as the compass that guides our sense of self, it can carry an overwhelming existential weight. One that, sooner or later, can break out not only as a professional crisis, but as an identity one.

The millennial generation grew up internalizing the belief that we are what we do. But when what we do no longer makes sense to us, or no longer fits within a changing world, then who are we?

Research shows millennials are likely to have 3 to 5 career shifts in their lifetime, while Generation Z is expected to have 4 to 6.

We’re not only living longer but the world is changing faster - and so are we.

The pressure to find purpose at work is heavy and often misguided

The concept of finding purpose at work gained mainstream popularity in the 1990s when advancing technology opened new possibilities, coupled with a culture of individualism that promised self-actualization and fulfillment through professional achievement.

What didn’t come with the message was that even if you do find purpose in your work, it might only serve you for a period of time in your life. Purpose can also be temporary.

If you’re doing life right, you’re growing, evolving, and becoming different versions of yourself through new experiences, new insights, and shifting contexts. The idea of a fixed, static purpose doesn’t fit into that.

So it’s only natural that as we evolve (hopefully into more mature versions of ourselves), what once felt meaningful might no longer feel that way.

Purpose can become an identity trap & the AI revolution

When we define ourselves by a ‘single purpose,’ we can end up feeling stuck. We stay in careers or businesses that no longer fit, simply because they once did. I’ve seen it happen again and again, and I’ve lived it too.

When I was doing brand strategy for companies, I believed I had found my purpose. Yet over time, work that once energized me began to feel hollow. It wasn’t the what that felt off, it was the why. The impact no longer felt rewarding to the person I was becoming.

Still, I stayed, because I had built my entire identity around that work.

It took me two years to shift my focus to what truly mattered: people. On the surface, it seemed like a small change, after all, I was still doing brand strategy. But I had moved from building brands for companies to building brands for individuals. And because I’d tied my sense of self so tightly to the old work, even considering a different angle felt difficult at first.

In this era of the AI revolution, when no one knows what the future will look like, tying your identity to what you do is like building sandcastles. When the tide rises, it will inevitably wash them away.

One of the greatest freedoms I’ve gained in recent years is detaching who I am from what I do, understanding that I’m a valuable person not because of my work, but in spite of it.

We don’t talk enough about the emotional toll this takes. The shame of not having found a ‘purpose,’ the guilt of wanting to change direction, the paralysis of waiting for clarity before starting.

I’ve seen people spend years—even decades—waiting to find a purpose before taking action. But more often than not, that clarity never comes.

Chasing purpose can be like chasing the end of a rainbow, you think there’s a pot of gold, but you end up lost and empty.

I know it sounds cliché, but meaning comes from the journey, exploration, discovery, and contribution. Not from a fixed sense of identity.

The future of work is experimental

I no longer believe in finding one single purpose.

I believe in living on purpose: staying connected to what feels alive in you now, following your curiosity, and allowing your outer world to evolve alongside your inner world.

The future of work isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about paying attention, experimenting, and letting yourself change without shame.

It’s definitely not about finding a singular, fixed purpose but embracing curiosity and constant evolution. As the world changes, so do we, and experimentation allows us to align our work with who we are becoming.

By living on purpose instead of searching for one, we can adapt to uncertainty with intention and openness.

Maybe the future of work is not about creating for constant impact or grand transformations, but about being fully present in whatever you're doing now.

Even if it’s as simple as making a good cup of coffee, smiling at someone, and going home.

Not everything has to be about impact and change, it can also be about simplicity and presence.

What if it’s not about discovering your one true calling, but about learning to keep answering the next one?

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I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences with on this.

With Love,

Nat

P.S. Beyond these reflections, I help individuals turn their story and lived experience into a brand and business that feels true to who they are, if you’re curious, you can explore more here.