True North = Workview + Lifeview
the compass that guides life design
A coherent life is one where who you are, what you believe, and what you do are in alignment (Burnett & Evans, Designing Your Life). I’m sharing my personal philosophy of what constitutes good work and a good life for me. Everyone’s workview and lifeview look different, but the two views would ideally complement and hopefully even nurture each other.
Workview
The purpose of my work is two-fold — 1) to financially support my activities of living and 2) to make a positive impact in this world. I also aspire to answer the questions “why am I here” and “what am I made for” through my work. I’m searching for my Ikigai, that sweet spot where I’m doing something that I love, that I’m good at, that I’m paid for, and that the world needs, all at the same time.
In this workview, I’m narrowly defining ‘work’ as my career, what I do for a living. I recognize that there are many forms of unpaid work, such as taking care of family, maintaining the house, contributing to community affairs, and volunteering for a cause. I personally feel the need to be continually active in my paid career in order to 1) achieve my potential and 2) have reassurance that I’ll financially be okay no matter what curveballs life may throw my way.
I expect my work to be derived from a life thesis - a mission that I believe in and that I’m uniquely qualified to tackle. For me, this is to develop and disseminate technologies for global health. I strive to regularly get into flow state through my work, where I feel present, content and playful. Money matters — it’s not the more the merrier and it’s not the most important factor to me, but I do want my earnings to be commensurate to my educational and experiential accomplishments.
I want to find both stability and adventure in my work — a home base that I can be grounded in, and a journey through which I’m learning new things about the world and myself.
Lifeview
I want my life to be balanced. I want to be satisfied in health, play, love, and work all at the same time and (almost) all the time. If this means that everything is limited to excellent but not #1 in the world, that’s fine with me. Something has to give.
My ideal life looks like this: I work in a job that I derive great pleasure and pride in. I have deep and loving relationships with a life partner, my family, and close friends. I am healthy physically, emotionally, and mentally - I regularly exercise, I get lots of sunlight and spend time outdoors, my stress levels are manageable and not overwhelming. I enjoy my hobbies, especially playing the piano and other forms of creating music.
I want to feel connected to individuals around me as well as greater humanity — people from different walks of life and around the world. This means stepping outside of the Silicon Valley bubble (or whichever bubble I’m by default sitting in) on a regular basis. I want to make the world better, whether it’s through small acts of kindness in my day-to-day or by being a loving partner / mom / daughter / friend or by working on projects that directly reduce human suffering through my career. I want to enjoy life and find wonder in the little things, like the way the leaves change color or a dog prancing around the park. I want to leave a meaningful mark, where my legacy is that I lived with kindness, courage, and responsibility, and that I inspired others to do the same.
A coherent life
As I take stock of my workview and lifeview together, it becomes apparent that work is central but not everything to me; it is a part of who I am, but it does not define me. It’s also clear that I expect my values to be deeply embedded in everything I do, including my work. MacArthur Genius John Ochsendorf once told me, “If you do what you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” I truly believe that I can and deserve to love my work the same way John loves his. I also believe that I can and deserve to feel appreciated and supported both professionally and personally. Let’s set the bar high.