What is it that makes life meaningful? Meaningful in ways that bring us joy, happiness, love, and belonging.

I recently read a book that stated, “At the end of the day, nothing matters.” I read that line over and over again. I was intrigued—and, if I’m being honest, a bit triggered—so I kept reading.

From what I gathered, aside from meeting our basic needs, we—as individuals—are all chasing something. For me, that “something” is layered success—financial, spiritual, and emotional. Success that allows me to care for my family. Success that strengthens my marriage, that nurtures love and partnership through understanding and grace. Success that allows me to age gracefully and live freely. To set an example my children can follow—to serve others, and to live in a society that, in turn, serves them.

The list of things I desire is quite long, but at the end of the day, nothing matters. It doesn’t matter if I work fourteen hours a day if I don’t love what I do. Equally, it doesn’t matter if I love what I do but fail to meet my clients’ needs—if they don’t find value in what I provide. Because when they find value, I find purpose. I find success.

I agree that, ultimately, nothing matters. My vision of tomorrow doesn’t matter if my actions today don’t align with it. The same applies when I focus on bringing value to others but forget to give to those who make me whole—those who restore and support me. My husband, my family, my loved ones. How good will my future be without the ones I love in it? And what if my future depended on the capabilities or limitations of others—what then?

The hardest question we face—the ultimate question—is this:

If, at the end of the day, nothing matters… then what does?

Is it having a clean home? Completing your graduate degree?

Finishing that project you’ve been postponing?

Buying a new home? A new car?

Is it finding love—the right love? Being right? Proving others wrong?

Being a good partner? A good spouse?

Having a child? Being a good parent?

And, at the end of the day, how much does it matter if none of your goals are reflected in what you accomplished today?

If keeping a clean home costs you rest, if you can’t find time to finish your degree, if completing one project only leads to another, or if you keep finding yourself in the same troubled relationship—what then?

If you have a child but not the right partner, does your desire for parenthood end there? Of course not. Because the desire to have a child is rooted in the wish to nurture, love, protect, and provide a stable home.

Perhaps what truly matters is maintaining a home while pursuing your career goals. It’s choosing to pause a project that doesn’t matter today. It’s establishing a boundary so you can protect yourself. It’s filtering your environment—so you can replenish your spirit with peace, joy, and the small, free things life has to offer.

So that when you are in a marriage, you have the strength and patience to grow within it, even amidst all odds. So that when you do have a child, you have the tools to be a resourceful parent.

It’s buying the car that allows you to live the life you want today, so you can continue chasing the life you dream of tomorrow. It’s having a mortgage that doesn’t rob you of your peace but gives you a place to truly call home.

At the end of the day, nothing truly matters if tomorrow’s vision of happiness becomes the source of today’s pain.

Give no weight to what won’t matter at the end of the day. Tend instead to what lies within your control—to what aligns with your purpose in this moment and in the next. Take a moment to ensure that what you’ve done today will ultimately matter for tomorrow. Let your hopes for tomorrow be the motivation that fuels you today. Today, you can be a good parent by kissing your child goodnight. Today, you can be a good partner by seeking to understand your spouse. Today, you can be a loving husband or wife by showing up—even in small ways. Today, you can take control by letting go of what you cannot control.

Live today the life you desire tomorrow.