Their findings reinforced previous research that had demonstrated that the ways individuals viewed work might be more tied to their personality traits than to the work itself. They infuse their work with purpose learned from past experiences. How they view work may largely be driven by the role models they had growing up. Some see it as merely a chore in their lives, while others view it as the core of life.

That doesn’t mean you’re sunk if you didn’t grow up with role models who found purpose in work. It’s possible to redesign your job to make it better align with your values, strengths and passions. For example, to boost the satisfaction taken from relationships in the workplace, you might decide to pick up the phone more often rather than relying on email. You can set goals for yourself to build mastery of the specific tasks you enjoy. You can also just pause a few times a day and take stock of the purpose you have rather than focusing on the deficits.

Companies such as Cornerstone Capital Group have begun to adopt changes to increase employee purpose. Erika Karp, the chief executive, told me that she asked her employees whether they had a good day and to identify moments that made it so. She then works with them to refine their job, making small adjustments to change their engagement at work and boost their meaning. This is an even greater imperative with young people. In a 2011 report by Harris Interactive, commissioned by the Career Advisory Board, meaning was the top career priority for those between the ages of 21 and 31.

We cannot meet this demand by looking to “causes” as the primary driver in our careers and place the burden on nonprofits to fulfill this need. Instead, we need to look to ourselves and cultivate self-awareness to take ownership for creating purpose in our work.