Making Meaning Matter
Finding Fulfillment in Your Life
What are the ingredients of a meaningful life? The simple answer is finding something personally meaningful to you. But, of course, it's not that simple. It's vital to understand how endeavors are meaningful to you. What do they give you? How do they make you feel? There are several ways to consider this. One is that an activity fills you with pride and makes you feel good about yourself and how you spend your time. Another is having a positive impact on the world and making a difference. A third is discovery or developing a deeper understanding of something. A meaningful life may be related to your career, a hobby, or how you interact with people. There are many ways to find meaning in your life.
How to find meaning
It's so easy to live life without meaning. You have a vague feeling there's a hole that needs to be filled, but you don't know why or how. Adding meaning to your life can fill this hole, and once you realize that, you will gain a clarity of purpose that can act as a catalyst to transform your perspective and outlook. So, how can I find meaning? It's not complicated, but it's not easy; it requires reflection and introspection. You have to contemplate yourself and your life. You have to explore what you're passionate about, what you're curious about, and what change you would like to see. You have to identify what or who you love and how you express that love. The paths toward meaning are many, and only you can chart your path.
My meaningful life story
Like many, my journey toward a meaningful life had many twists, turns, and false starts. When I was young, I went with the flow, letting things happen and doing what was expected of me. I fell into a pattern of jobs, relationships, and activities that were not that meaningful for me, and I was unfulfilled and often unhappy. In a stroke of luck, I chanced upon an opportunity for a new job in coastal management, and something clicked. I realized that to have a meaningful life, I would have to be intentional and take a proactive role in all its aspects. During this time, I offloaded some toxic relationships, I began a job that I loved and that made a difference, and I started to go in a serious direction musically. I also found my soulmate and started a family. All this happened because I began to ask myself what was meaningful to me.
Making your meaningful life a priority
As you move through life and gain experience, your life can develop a mind of its own. Duties and responsibilities stack up, and before you know it, you have no flexibility and no time to pursue new interests or passions. If these interests and passions are what could give your life meaning, it may appear as if your life is out of your control, and you feel as if you're missing out. But as much as it might seem like you don't have any control over your life, you do. You have free will and choice, and it's possible to make a significant course correction, even when it feels that you're stuck. Making time for those endeavors that give your life meaning must be a priority; otherwise, you will never lose the feeling that something's missing.
What a meaningful life gives you
You may feel that making the time for the meaningful in your life is frivolous—that it takes away from your responsibilities. However, it's important to recognize the benefits that meaning in your life brings. First, it gives you a sense of purpose. Once you find something that you feel you were put here on Earth for, you will feel complete—that you are fulfilling your purpose. Second, it helps you make an impact. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and something to be proud of. Finally, it makes you whole. Meaning in your life is something you will always seek, and until you find it, you will always feel that something is missing.
Meaning in your life matters. It's something you need to build a life that is fulfilling and worthwhile.
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