Episode: 558

Episode Title: Why Work Isn’t Everything

Many older folks believed that work was the most important part of life—but young people are turning that upside down. Here’s why, next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 558 show:

Welcome to The Perna Syndicate today! As we talk about what true success looks like at work, it’s worth noting that young people are already redefining it for themselves. 

Unlike many of those in older generations, Gen Z and Millennials entered the workforce with the idea that they’d rather work in order to live, rather than live in order to work. To them, work is important—but it’s not everything. 

They also demand that their work be meaningful and make the world a better place in some way. Merely making a profit isn’t enough of a reason for these young idealists. They want a purpose bigger than that for what they do. And when they find it, they throw themselves into it with their whole heart and soul. 

This aligns neatly with Dr. Alan Patterson’s definition of success, which centers on who you are at work rather than what you do. Succeeding in the workplace, he says, depends on the personal fulfillment the work brings to you and those you work with. 

While moving up the career ladder isn’t a bad thing, nor should it be an ultimate goal. Instead, says Patterson, we should focus our attention on building bridges. 

As older generations retire and young people step into their shoes, the overarching attitudes around work and purpose will shift in favor of this more internalized version of success. And I say, bring it on!

Tomorrow: is it time to burn down the corporate ladder? That’s what Dr. Patterson thinks, and we’ll talk about this topic on the next episode of The Perna Syndicate. See you then!