When I was a kid, I never said "I want to be a web designer when I grow up!" It wasn't an available option.

It’s been said that 65% of kids entering school now will end up in jobs that haven’t been invented yet. That can be an intimidating thought, as it requires considering and planning for an undefined future.

That’s why it’s so important to understand why you enjoy doing what you do, rather than focusing so much on what it is you do.

Why do you have the job you have? Why do you hang around your circle of friends? Why do you make time for your particular hobbies and passion projects?

Our careers will have many twists and turns. We’ll abandon certain skills and pick up new ones. If we never dig deeper to consider why we do what we do, we risk stagnation, obsolescence, and unhappiness.

I feel most fulfilled when I’m making and sharing things. Why? I think it’s because I enjoy putting things into the world that weren’t there before. I like solving problems. I like helping other people and seeing them happier as a result. I know the world around me will continue to change, and so long as I’m able to continue making and sharing things in some capacity, I’ll continue to be happy.

Maybe one day you’ll be proficient in a language that hasn’t been invented yet. Or you’ll be making a living designing for devices that have yet to be conceived. Or curing diseases that haven’t been discovered.

Understanding why we enjoy doing what we do better prepares us for whatever the future has in store.