Meaning

8 letters

I spent years optimizing my life—more freedom, more achievement, more control. Then I'd reach my goals and feel... nothing. Just emptiness, and the question: "What's next?" Achievement builds confidence. But it doesn't build meaning. These essays grapple with the deeper questions: What gives life significance beyond success? How do we face death and still find joy? Why does faith offer something secular self-improvement can't? What remains when everything else is stripped away? From Orthodox priests to hospice chaplains to billionaires who've lost everything, I've sought wisdom from people who've wrestled with these questions longer than I have. These essays are my attempts to learn what actually matters—and to live accordingly. Not what I want to achieve. But what makes the achievement worth it.