My wife loves finishing a picture puzzle, the sense of accomplishment at creating order out of chaos helps her relax. I can't stand them, they are dull and rep

My wife loves finishing a picture puzzle, the sense of accomplishment at creating order out of chaos helps her relax. I can't stand them, they are dull and repetitive and in the end you just have the same picture that was already on the box. A decade ago, I built a simple set of wooden stairs to replace the existing, poorly built concrete set. To this day I get a little burst of joy when I use them. People are different and get satisfaction from different goals, that's pretty obvious to most people. However, it can be difficult to find out what you actually gives you joy. Some of the people I know struggling with midlife issues went through life believing some great goal would be worth it, but once achieved, the found it lacking. It would be like if I spent 20 years building a great picture puzzle. I'd be having a major crisis when it was done. Academia is a big offender because you can't know if you'll be satisfied until you get there, and getting there takes a decade or two. Furthermore, what you get satisfaction from can change. Build a bunch of puzzles or stairs, and you may find it dull and unrewarding. I don't find actual coding as rewarding as it used to be, but I find design and problem solving much more interesting. I think the young and old part is misleading. People can get in such a malaise at any time. The key is finding the trick and techniques to get out of it, or even better, avoiding it in the first place.