By Sanjaay

In the first two parts of my blog series on happiness, I wrote about my hiking trip in Nepal and my exploration into Nordic happiness policies in Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The first essay explored the pursuit of happiness in nature, among the people around us, and the power of perception. The second essay explored what governments can do to create the conditions for happiness and how a community’s culture can facilitate happiness.

In this final essay, I tackle another question I wrestled with throughout this gap year — how do we find happiness in our work? Today, work is an inevitable fact of life, so the things I learned through answering this question will certainly be useful at Duke and beyond.

Work and self-actualisation

Broadly speaking, I saw two major schools of thought in the relationship between happiness and work. One holds that work is a distraction from the important things in life, such as contemplation, political activity, and moral development. In particular, some believe that work in its current form is particularly meaningless because workers are merely cogs in a machine.

Another school believes that there is moral and spiritual value in work, that work is a calling. Although work might sometimes be meaningless, it still offers a sense of self-awareness and acceptance.

Today, the latter view is accepted — begrudgingly by some, and enthusiastically by others. The general middle ground is that we should strike for meaningful work, work defined by:

• Contributing to something useful and purposeful,
• Alignment to our values and priorities,
• Facilitating growth and personal development, and
• Enriched by strong friendships / social connections.

I’ve always been very drawn to this view of work: as a student, I always sought out new projects to work on, because I enjoyed the growth and meaning that emerge from working on something beyond myself. But I realised that I spend far too long focusing on doing things, without reflecting on why I did them and what I learnt. Changing this mentality was one key focus of my gap year.

I spent the first half of my gap year engaged in some form of formal work or internships — from military service, to an internship with a government agency.

I found my work experience enriching — I enjoyed having something to take ownership of, something that would impact the lives of many. I loved the intellectual challenge of taking on a stretch assignment and iterating until I figured out how to complete the task. And crucially, I looked forward to seeing my friends and colleagues the next day, ready to face the day’s tasks together as a team.

Even in the tougher moments, my resilience was tested, and I was forced to look within to find some semblance of meaning in whatever I was doing.

Deciding what work to do

In April, I took a trip to Duke to get a feel of the place I would call home for four years. I had the chance to speak with several upperclassmen. Their wisdom in planning their college journey was truly inspiring.

”Consider your extracurriculars in three buckets”, one student suggested. “First, things you have to do to get a job. Second, things you care about. Third, random interests you’d like to pursue and see where it takes you”. She emphasised that not all extracurriculars need to have a practical purpose — after all, many meaningful beginnings can sprout from spontaneous activities.

But the best part is — even if something doesn’t bloom, that’s okay. Duke upperclassmen shared that it’s totally OK to give something a try and eventually decide that it’s not for you. They did caveat this — and I agree — saying that the onus is on you to fully give an activity a fighting chance before quitting. Hopping from activity to activity, or having too much on your plate to concentrate on any of them, might prevent one from truly benefiting from any of them.

What if there’s nothing which quite fits your interest? Start something new, advised a Duke alum whom I met at the Duke Forever Send-Off for the Class of 2029. I can attest to this, having kickstarted several projects in the past. Nothing matches the feeling of fully owning your work and knowing that it will make a difference in people’s lives. Furthermore, these self-initiated projects gave me a chance to hone my leadership & strategic skills.

Work at Duke and beyond

In about a month, I will be moving halfway across the world to begin a fantastic journey of learning and discovery. I’m glad I had the last year to reconnect with the things and people I love, and many of these activities and conversations have helped me think about what I want out of my college experience.

My goal, at least for my first semester at Duke, is to establish a structure that allows me to reflect on my work, ensuring that I grow into the person I aspire to be. I also want to be more intentional about the work I’ll pursue, much like the upperclassmen I spoke with during my trip to Durham.

I’m excited to engage in many meaningful experiences during my college years! And I wish you all a meaningful year to come too!