The Real Meaning of Work

We are taught that work is about achievement.

The right title.

The right salary.

The right company name on your résumé.

For a long time,

I believed that too.

The Illusion of Status

I worked hard.

I chased promotions.

I celebrated the big wins —

the kind that look good in LinkedIn headlines.

But when everything was stripped away —

the job title, the company badge, the team —

what stayed?

Not much.

When I left my corporate life behind,

there were no shiny labels left to hide behind.

The Silence of Chiang Mai

In Chiang Mai,

for the first time in years,

I wasn’t defined by what I did or where I worked.

I was just another face in a café,

another person on a motorbike,

another voice among many.

At first, it felt refreshing.

Liberating, even.

No title to carry.

No expectations to meet.

But after a few months,

the silence became louder.

And it asked me questions I wasn’t ready for.

"What makes work meaningful — when nobody’s watching?"
"What are you really missing?"

Missing the Right Things

I missed more than a paycheck.

More than the structured days or the big projects.

I missed the people.

The colleagues who challenged me.

The friends who understood the same frustrations and victories.

The late-night strategy sessions,

the shared laughter over impossible deadlines,

the unspoken sense of belonging that came from growing together.

Work had never been just work.

It had been —

Connection. Growth. Shared ambition.

That was the real fuel.

And I hadn’t even realized it until it was gone.

Redefining Work

Now, I don’t see work as a ladder to climb.

I see it as a community to build.

I care less about the logos on my résumé,

and more about the people I get to grow with.

Work is not about status. It’s about finding the right people to drive with.

Because in the end,

success isn’t how far you go alone —

it’s who’s still with you at the next pit stop.

Hop in. Let’s drive — together.

Titles fade.

Paychecks get spent.

But the people you meet along the way —

they stay.

Hop in.

Let’s drive — together.