[lanbanger]

For the longest time I was someone who relied on external validation of whether my work was meaningful or not. Outside of saving lives or delivering children, most of the jobs that most people do are probably not that 'meaningful'.

I spent the last three years working for a narcissist, which meant that I got minimal external validation, even when I knew the work I was doing was valuable. I learned to reframe and appreciate the intrinsic value of my effort, especially when I knew that my effort was of high quality. It's an approach that works for me and I recommend it to other people.