Focusing on what is meaningful to you, rather than what you believe is meaningful to others, can give you a sense of purpose and fulfillment, which can lead to increased motivation and positive changes in your life. Conversely, prioritizing others' values or expectations can lead to feelings of emptiness, burnout, and lack of direction.
If you do not know what is meaningful to you, try finding problems in your life that need solving. Start small and work towards solving those problems. This can give your life a sense of direction and purpose, and help you identify what is meaningful to you.
Start with small problems or areas of improvement, like organizing your closet, cleaning out your pantry, or attending to a pile of papers on your desk. This will help you get started and give your mind a target to work towards.
Giving meaning to whatever you focus on can lead to the brain generating solutions and ideas to tackle the problem, like how organizing an apartment can lead to identifying the need to add character and design to it.
Starting small is important, as setting too big of a goal or obstacle to tackle can be overwhelming and may lead to giving up.