Feeling like there is no obvious point to it all is a deeply human experience, especially during overwhelming times. And these current times are if nothing else – overwhelming. With 24/7 news cycles, rapid technological shifts, and global volatility, it is completely normal to feel overstimulated and at the same time wondering what exactly is the point of anything.

There are many instances on any given day when we have all sincerely asked as business owners and leaders –

What’s the point?

Financial and Market Stagnation

• What’s the point of increasing top-line revenue if rising overhead eats all the profit?
• What’s the point of out-innovating competitors if cheap copycats undercut the price?
• What’s the point of expanding the business if it just doubles the financial risk?

Leadership and Team Dynamics

• What’s the point of investing in employee training if they leave for a competitor?
• What’s the point of empowering managers if major decisions still stall on my desk?
• What’s the point of building a great culture if team conflicts still disrupt daily work?

Operational and Strategic Stress

• What’s the point of perfect strategic planning if sudden market shifts ruin the plan?
• What’s the point of optimizing operations if supply chain delays block final delivery?
• What’s the point of adopting new software if the team reverts to old habits?

Personal Sacrifice and Balance

• What’s the point of working so hard if I still can’t make the ends meet?
• What’s the point of scaling the brand if the daily stress ruins my physical health?
• What’s the point of being my own boss if I work more hours than my employees?
• What’s the point of building company wealth if I have no time for my family?

I’m certain I’ve missed quite a few “what’s the point” moments but that’s not the point today.

Whenever the question surfaces, we need to stop and treat it as information.

We rarely ask “what’s the point?” when we are acting in alignment with our deepest values. Perhaps our daily actions have begun to conflict with our personal beliefs. Maybe we have bitten off more than we can chew and we need to strip away non-essential obligations and refocus on what actually matters. Or we may need to review our goals and ensure that they are self-chosen and not selected because of societal pressure

In many instances it may be one of these three things:

1. A lack of sleep kills motivation and affects our ability to be optimistic.
2. Physical stagnation is tied directly to mental stagnation and
3. Constant screen time is known to fry dopamine receptors making normal life feel pointless.

At the point it’s happening we make thing of it as an existential crisis, but take a pause and see if any of these three culprits are the cause. Our brain stops seeing the “point” when it runs out of resources.

Global problems can feel overwhelming, and that scale of thinking is way too large. Even the challenges in the Caribbean, or on island can consume us to the point where we feel helplessness in our ability to change anything or make an impact. The fix here is to radically shrink the radius of our attention.

We may not be able to save the world or our country but we can shift focus to helping one person today. We can connect with the people and build those relationships right where we are. This is what makes life worthwhile – helping and serving versus worrying and catastrophizing while essentially doing nothing.

It would do us all a great deal of good of course to take a media fast. Cut off the endless cycle of negative news. Move away from passive scrolling into physical activities that engage you – cooking, gardening, or for that matter cleaning. Any activity where your effort yields immediate results.

Reintroduce moments of silence in your daily life. I recently resubscribed to Calm. I have familial essential tremor and my anxiety has gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. It’s imperative for me now more than ever to pause and pause often. I can easily go down the rabbit hole of what’s the point, when I am overwhelmed, overstimulated with no room to breathe.

If we examine the question “what’s the point?” we will see that it is inherently future-oriented, looking for a distant payoff. Our present moments and the activities therein need to be treated with respect and honored instead of the means to an end…stepping stones to a future goal.

When we ask “What’s the point?”, we think we are having a deep, philosophical and or existential crisis. In reality, we are usually just experiencing the side effects of a modern lifestyle.

We reach this mental wall quickly because our environment has tricked our brains:

• The Gratification Trap: We mistake slow growth for no progress, asking “what’s the point?” simply because the reward didn’t arrive instantly.
• The Void of Silence: We mistake algorithmic invisibility for worthlessness, asking “what’s the point?” because a screen didn’t shout back at us.
• The Stimulation Crash: We mistake peace and quiet for emptiness, asking “what’s the point?” because our brains are crashing from a digital dopamine high.

The answer to this well worn question is this: We are looking for the point in the wrong place.

We are looking for the point out there—in fast rewards, internet metrics, and constant entertainment. To fix it, we have to stop asking why and go back to how we are living. The point isn’t a destination we reach; it is the baseline stability we return to when we unplug, slow down, and reconnect with who we are and the moment we inhabit, right now.

Strategic Reflection Prompt

Which of your current frustrations are actually signals that your attention, energy, or values need realignment rather than evidence that your efforts are pointless?

The next time you find yourself asking “What’s the point?”, what information might that question be trying to give you about how you are living, working, and allocating your attention?

About Giselle

Most costly decisions begin with an inaccurate understanding of the situation.

I’m increasingly interested in how leaders make sense of uncertainty, complexity, and important decisions. If you could better understand one thing about your business right now, what would it be?

Giselle Hudson is a Pre-Decision Diagnostic Advisor who helps leaders gain clarity before major decisions are made or resources are committed to the wrong solution.