Finding Meaning in Your Work

The biopsychosocial model recognizes that health and well-being are shaped by interacting biological, psychological, and social factors. Applying this perspective to our professional lives allows us to look beyond job titles, salaries, and personal interests.

Open the three sections below to look at each dimension in turn.

Work can influence our physical well-being through factors such as workload, sleep disruption, physical demands, and prolonged stress. Our bodies respond to the environments in which we spend our time.

A job that requires constant vigilance, unpredictable schedules, or insufficient recovery may contribute to physical and psychological strain. However, the relationship between work and health is not determined by whether we love our profession. Someone can feel deeply passionate about their work and still experience exhaustion.

Consider asking yourself

• Do I have enough opportunities for rest and recovery?
• Does my work schedule support healthy sleep and daily routines?
• What physical signs of stress do I notice during or after work?
• Does my workplace provide reasonable opportunities to manage its demands?

These questions are not intended to diagnose a health condition. They are opportunities to notice how your work environment interacts with your physical needs.

Our psychological relationship with work involves more than enjoying a particular profession. It includes our sense of autonomy, competence, motivation, identity, and personal meaning.

Self-Determination Theory identifies three fundamental psychological needs:

• Autonomy: Feeling that we have meaningful choices and some control over our actions.
• Competence: Feeling capable of learning, developing skills, and accomplishing meaningful tasks.
• Relatedness: Feeling connected to and valued by other people.

When workplace environments support these needs, employees may experience greater motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction. A 2026 meta-analysis of 192 studies (Hagger & McAnally Starr) found relationships consistent with Self-Determination Theory between psychological need satisfaction, autonomous motivation, and workplace outcomes. The strength of these relationships varied between studies, for example by type of work and country.

This does not mean that every person must find their passion or that motivation alone determines career success. It suggests that the psychological conditions surrounding our work deserve attention.

Reflection questions

• Which activities leave me feeling engaged or satisfied?
• When do I feel capable and confident?
• Do I have opportunities to make meaningful decisions?
• Am I developing skills that matter to me?
• Does my work align with my personal values?

Sometimes professional dissatisfaction does not mean we have chosen the wrong career. It may mean that our current responsibilities or work environment do not adequately support our psychological needs.

Our professional lives do not exist separately from our families, communities, cultures, or economic circumstances. Career decisions may be influenced by:

• Financial stability and access to employment.
• Family and caregiving responsibilities.
• Cultural expectations and personal values.
• Educational opportunities.
• Workplace relationships and belonging.
• Discrimination, accessibility, and systemic barriers.

These factors matter because meaningful work is not equally accessible to everyone. Someone may have a strong interest in a profession but lack the financial resources or educational opportunities needed to pursue it. Another person may choose stable employment to support their family, even when the work itself is not especially fulfilling. Neither situation represents personal failure.

A biopsychosocial approach recognizes that individuals make decisions within real social and economic circumstances. A meaningful career should not be defined only by personal passion. It must also be understood within the realities of a person’s life.

Many people experience meaning through helping others. Teachers, caregivers, healthcare professionals, counselors, and community workers may feel a strong sense of purpose in their roles. However, meaningful work and sustainable work are not necessarily the same thing.

Feeling committed to helping others does not eliminate the need for rest, boundaries, fair compensation, or supportive working conditions.

A 2023 systematic review of well-being interventions for nurses, physicians, and allied healthcare professionals found that most of the studies reported benefits, such as better well-being and engagement and less burnout. Most of the interventions focused on individuals, only a few changed the workplace itself, and many studies had design limitations. Importantly, burnout should not automatically be interpreted as a failure of individual coping. Workload, organizational support, available resources, and working conditions also deserve consideration.

You can care deeply about your work and still need boundaries.

Finding greater satisfaction does not always require changing careers. Sometimes it begins with understanding which aspects of our daily responsibilities support our well-being and which create unnecessary strain.

A systematic review of 33 job-design intervention studies (Daniels et al., 2017) found mixed evidence overall. Well-being and performance may improve, for example, when workers are trained to improve their own jobs or when job design is improved together with other employment practices, and success was linked to worker involvement and management commitment. Results vary, and successful change often requires organizational support.

Depending on your circumstances, meaningful adjustments might include:

• Seeking opportunities to use your strengths.
• Discussing workload expectations with a supervisor.
• Developing new professional skills.
• Strengthening supportive workplace relationships.
• Exploring different responsibilities within your profession.
• Establishing boundaries that protect time for rest and relationships.

Not every workplace allows these changes, and responsibility for healthy working conditions should not fall entirely on employees. Nevertheless, identifying what is within your control can be a useful starting point.

Finding meaning in work is an ongoing process rather than a destination. Consider spending a few minutes reflecting on the following questions.

1. What comes naturally to me?

Think about abilities you use comfortably, including skills you may take for granted.

2. What activities make me feel engaged?

Notice the tasks that capture your attention or leave you with a sense of satisfaction.

3. What matters most to me?

Consider your personal values, relationships, interests, and the contributions you would like to make.

4. What does my well-being require?

Reflect on your physical health, emotional needs, financial responsibilities, and the importance of rest.

5. What is one realistic change I could explore?

You do not need to transform your entire professional life immediately. Sometimes the first step is simply recognizing what is working, what is not, and what possibilities may be available.

Meaningful work is not necessarily the most prestigious profession, the highest-paying position, or the career that looks most impressive to others. It is also not a requirement for living a meaningful life.

For some people, purpose comes primarily through family, friendships, community, creativity, spirituality, or activities outside paid employment. Our professional identities are only one part of who we are.

A biopsychosocial perspective invites us to consider the whole person rather than measuring human worth through professional achievement. Your work can be meaningful without becoming your entire identity.

And sometimes, discovering what matters most begins not by changing what you do, but by understanding what you need.

This article was inspired by Rabbi Dr. Yosef Lynn’s Passion or Paycheck? A Jewish Formula for Finding the Work You Love, published October 5, 2026, by Aish. Drawing on the teachings of Rabbeinu Bachya ibn Paquda, Rabbi Lynn explores the relationship between natural abilities, personal interests, and contributing to the needs of others.

Within Your Light expands on this philosophical reflection through a contemporary biopsychosocial perspective informed by psychological and occupational health research. The interpretations, educational discussion, and reflections presented here are independently developed and do not imply endorsement by Rabbi Lynn or Aish.

Original inspiration: Rabbi Dr. Yosef Lynn (2026). Passion or Paycheck? A Jewish Formula for Finding the Work You Love. Aish.

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