Book Surgeon No. 18

The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story for Work and Life -- Paul Millerd

While I am back home now from a three week trip to Europe, I learned a valuable lesson this week during my time in London. There seems to be three key uses for money: shelter and sustenance for yourself and loved ones, sharing experiences and building memories with others, and giving selflessly to others. Beyond these three simple purposes, money’s value to our lives seems to diminish incredibly rapidly, and many of our life’s most fundamental challenges cannot be overcome by money alone. Once our principal financial needs are met, human connection, creativity, and purpose often provide a much higher return to our life satisfaction and happiness than income. 

Coming from a similar conclusion, author Paul Millerd of The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story For Work and Life writes of the importance of finding your “enough,” which is the “antithesis of unchecked growth because growth encourages mindless consumption and enough requires constant questioning and awareness.” In order to define what is enough for us, we have to constantly bring our personal values and life goals into question: we have to live a life of full awareness and not fall into autopilot for long periods of time. Enough will look different for every person; yet, for Millerd, serious introspection and contemplation have allowed him to begin defining his working definition of enough: “enough is knowing that no amount in my bank account will ever satisfy my deepest fears. It’s knowing that I have enough friends that would gladly open their door and share a meal if I was ever in need. It’s the feeling that I’ve been able to spend my time over an extended stretch of time working on projects that are meaningful to me, helping people with a spirit of generosity, and having enough space and time in my life to stay energized to keep doing this over the long-term … Enough is knowing that the clothes, fancy meal, or latest gadget will not make me happier, but also that buying such things won’t mean I’m going to end up broke. Enough is having meaningful conversations with people that inspire me, people that I love, or people that support me.” Since we are all different, your own definition of enough will not look exactly like Millerd’s, but if we do not take any time to consider what enough means to us, we will default to society’s demands, which is to always make and spend more, increasing our productivity at every opportunity without considering the repercussions on our personal and social lives.

Work is essential, and an awareness of why we work will improve our experience and perception of this part of our lives. As a result, Millerd proposes a few questions that he often asks himself: What matters? Why do we work? What is the “good life”? What holds people back from change? How do we find work that brings us alive? These questions are important because they drive our curiosity and help clarify our individual values. Additionally, they encourage us to develop and ask our own questions as well. A deeper awareness of our decisions is critical for finding more purpose and meaning in our lives. Thus, even if you enjoy and hope to continue on your path, opening your curiosity and defining your motives will lead to more satisfaction and help you overcome difficult challenges as they arise.

Share with others if you enjoy! Thanks for reading and see you next week!