This month’s social media has focused on the month of October and all that it brings to us – a feeling of being overwhelmed, a time to set improvement goals, and now…how meaningful work can add value to our lives.

Tasha Eurich, author of the amazing book, Insight, offers another possibility for taming the woes of October. She reminds us that the search for meaning is one of our central needs as humans. “How fulfilled we feel at work is becoming more and more central to how we measure our lives.”

For some of us, Derek Thompson has coined a reality that may be true for us. “Workism” is our belief that work is the centerpiece of our identity and life purpose. Another writer, Robert Frank, observes that for many of us, “there is no such thing as leisure . . . and work is our play.” What do you think about this?

Consider the contradiction – at the same time, “loving what we do makes us especially vulnerable to doing it to our own detriment” vs. loving our work so much because it has meaning – it’s fulfilling, it’s motivating, it’s inspiring.

One study found an unusual finding – “that happiness and meaning are two distinct characteristics and that while we are doing something that deeply matters to us, we can also be unhappy.” Also an interesting fact.

Tasha, says, “Even when we are doing work that means a great deal to us, we must fight to cultivate balance and set boundaries so we can deploy our talents in a sustainable and sane manner.” In other words, making ourselves a priority can maximize our strengths in a way that lasts over time and is not overwhelming.

Here are a few reflective questions for you as you search for the meaning in your work during the month of October.

• How meaningful is my work right now?
• How am I working to establish balance so that I am not exhausted, tired, or overwhelmed?
• How happy am I with my work?

Your answers to these questions may provide insight for what is really going on for you.