In a young-soul world in which FOX News passes as a genuine source of information, and a self-absorbed sociopath can bluster his way to the Republican presidential nomination, older souls can feel distinctly out of place. And finding meaning may be challenging for an old soul like you.

In young-soul America, there’s a worship of money, and a level of inequality that would be the envy of old-time robber barons and insane Roman emperors. The world was never meant to be the way it is. If old souls ran the USA—rather than banks, corporations, and the super-wealthy—it would look very different.

The obsession with money over deeper spiritual values is the marker of a young-soul society.

Young souls tend to measure a person’s success simply by the size of their bank account. They’re the ones who will spend a career in an unfulfilling job for the money and prestige.

The difference between old and young souls is that old souls seek meaning.

It’s never enough to go to work and pick up a paycheck. There has to be a sense of higher purpose. As long as the bottom line is the bottom line, then the old soul will never be fulfilled.

So, what do you do if your job offers no real meaning? The answer is: find meaning where you can.

For many old souls, that means doing some kind of volunteer work. One of my clients helps find scholarships for inner-city kids. Several volunteer in local schools. I have a client whose daughter volunteers at a homeless shelter (a way to balance the karma from a past life as a homeless person).

Another way of finding meaning is to explore a talent like art or music.  I have a client who plays accordion in senior centers. (Which prompted me to ask what the seniors had ever done to her!) And someone I spoke to recently has begun a small business photographing weddings at weekends.

The sign of an old-soul country is that it treats its citizens as equals, and looks after poor, the elderly, and the sick.

If old souls ran the world, however, there would be another noticeable difference: everyone would have the opportunity for meaningful work, and to make a contribution to society.

Until that time, to find meaning, you need to do something that allows you to express your personality. This means different things for different soul types:

• For a Helper soul type, it’s easy: you simply need to feel you’re being of service. You might get out to the beach and clean the place up.
• If you’re a Hunter type, you might coach a kids’ football team, or travel to a developing country to dig wells and increase access to clean water.
• As a Creator, you might tend an urban garden, or liven up the world by painting murals on walls.
• If you’re a Caregiver, then you need someone to take care of, perhaps by visiting hospice patients.
• As a Performer soul type, you might, like someone I met recently, play harp for children in a hospital.
• An Educator type is always drawn to some kind of mentoring.
• Thinker types love to support libraries and literacy projects, and are drawn to help others to explore the world.
• If you’re a Leader type, then leading a group of kids on a trek in the wilds might be perfect.
• And, if you’re a Spiritualist soul type, then it’s all about empowering others: teaching them to fish, not just giving them a fish.

In this young-soul world, your day job may not be what gives you meaning, but the trick is find other areas of your life where you can manifest your old-soul desire for a higher purpose.

The first step in finding meaning is to identify the personality type your soul chose for this incarnation. Ainslie’s Soul Type Quiz can help you do just that! Click here for more information, or enter your details in the box below.