Open your mind to challenge yourself

After the first part of our analysis on what motivates young people to achieve their goals, about one in 20 want to be constantly challenged to use their skills to improve and develop. They would “rather have a satisfying and challenging job than a boring job with a large paycheck”. That might be even more important “in case I do not manage to find a job which fulfils and enriches me”. Which is why many people we’ve interviewed had switched careers in some cases, moving from very different fields, i.e. from medicine to journalism, but also because “it is important to be readier for the unexpected and keep curious about what surrounds us”.

Just over one in five want to open their mind and better understand others. This is often triggered by people they meet and their desire to discover other cultures, “because it is fun and enriches your life in many ways (more than money), but also because the ability to understand other humans increases”.

In many cases, this is why people felt travelling and living abroad was important to “discover new people, new countries, live new experiences and learn new languages & skills.” They think that “life should, ultimately, be about new experiences and expanding your mind and worldviews – rather than reproduction (social or biological)”, in particular when they’re young as they don’t imagine themselves “travelling with a group of other retired people when I’m old. I’d rather stay at home growing my garden and helping”.

Around one in six are motivated because they want to make social change or help others. They want this because they feel a sense of mission to change the world “otherwise we’ll face more and more troubles – poverty, sickness, nuclear catastrophe, end of cheap oil, sterile soils, dying in oceans, more slavery, civil war and pollution”.

In some cases, these problems are much closer to home like helping their “family because they are in a difficult situation” or even their own projects where they “want the values of the organisation to grow even beyond my own involvement” or “want to provoke social change by making documentary films” or because they want to share their passion with their child or shape the future of their city.

We’ll be showcasing Making a Living across different cities in our festival, including in London (12-13 & 19-20 October) & Amsterdam (19-20 October). Click on one of the tabs to get involved!