Many of young and less young individuals arrive to the point of asking this question. Sometimes triggered by seeing or being subject to disasters, aggression, world's changes, interpersonal difficulties, isolation, stale life conditions, and sometimes simply provoked by our spontaneous internal search, this existential question may bring us to either on the path of discovery, research and testing, or into a state of anxiety and fear before making a fatal mistake in life. |
A majority of individuals spend much of the life time living from the meaning and answers provided to them during childhood, and they never seriously questioned the given reasoning. We grow up within a family, school and community that all bring reasons and answers for why to behave in a certain way and how to think in a certain way that is acceptable within our group. And we need those instructions to survive within the given context. When we become young adults the questions of why and who we are, what meaning does the society arrangement have, and what meaning does our life have, or how to make sense of life when we are suffering, or how can we be certain of making the right choices in life can become our major themes.
You may have thought that you had found the right meaning and answers by then, and all of the sudden you feel they do not resonate as ‘yours’. Does it all feel like an empty world of someone else in which you find no connection? When your life is dictated by others, you find yourself study and work in different areas, ignoring your own desires because the ‘internalized dictations’ say that you cannot have what you want or need in the way that you need it or want it. The chance is that you haven't tried to explore what you really want to do with your life, and you might have not yet explored the possibility of 'if to' and how you could get there.
You may have thought that you had found the right meaning and answers by then, and all of the sudden you feel they do not resonate as ‘yours’. Does it all feel like an empty world of someone else in which you find no connection? When your life is dictated by others, you find yourself study and work in different areas, ignoring your own desires because the ‘internalized dictations’ say that you cannot have what you want or need in the way that you need it or want it. The chance is that you haven't tried to explore what you really want to do with your life, and you might have not yet explored the possibility of 'if to' and how you could get there.
The more we read, think about it, and discuss it with others, we may find out that it is all up to us to make our lives as meaningful as possible to ourselves and to others. We are the ones to discover what values, endeavors, activities can give us and our lives the necessary meaning. That meaning for which our life will be worth living.
Once we realize that we do not have to live behind the rules of others, and that each one of us is unique in our desires, needs, intentions and capacities, we are stepping on the way of defining and living the meaning of our own life.
As each one of us is a unique individual, our life paths will be different, and the meaning that I find to my life will be different to yours, as well as the answers to the questions that we ask in such similar ways. Questions such as 'Who am I?', 'What can I do, and want I do in my life?'; 'For whom do I want to work and do things?'; 'What impact do I want to produce with my actions?'
Many people have found meaning in staying connected with nature, some find the meaning in expressing gratitude each day, others in work assignments that bring value to others, or in having a religious belief or system of values that bring meaning to them. What those people also have is the answer to their own questions. They are ready to enrich their lives by making impact on other people's lives. They are ready to share their findings to help others arrive closer to their own meaningful path.
How can you get there?
How do you leave the comfort of the well prepared path? You may sense that a change might be a good choice for you, but it doesn't always seem worth to go out of our comfortable monotonous and repetitive life that doesn’t fulfill you. You may fear loosing all what you have and what you know, but finding your own meaning would require exactly this from you.
By Crossing to the unknown area anyway, exploring what you really want in life, by facing your fears, you have a chance to become more and more the individual that you were meant to be. Once you take a step over, you inevitably become more open to knowing the unknown and accept the differences of others, and life can start offering you more opportunities.
The more opportunities we see, the more important is to know who we are and what we want to do with the time that is left for us on this planet. To facilitate your own discovery, make yourself some quiet space, take a few minutes - at least - of your daily time when you can be alone and calm. No music, no chatter and just relax. Once ready, ask yourself the above questions and keep a pen and a sheet of paper with you in case you want to jolt down your thoughts to read them later. Repeat this exercise daily and you will notice how you get to be able to listen to yourself and move towards suitable answers for yourself. If you don't have quiet space at home, use your commuting time to do this while you are on the bus or train.
Make this time your time to explore also what activity makes you thrive and what takes all your concentration without noticing the time passing. These efforts, enjoyment, activities, deeds of help, attention to loved ones, awareness of each action, meditation and prayer, are the source of our fulfillment in life. They bring us joy and satisfaction, and they make us grow as human beings. When we detect what makes us feel this way, we have found our life purpose, the path we want to follow.
Many people change their life path to be able to live their sense of purpose on daily basis, and these changes have nothing to do with our social status, wealth or health conditions. We can find it and live it within every level of being. You can find yours as well.
Life offers plenty of distractions, so the more you can stay aware of what you want to become or achieve in life, the easier your choices will be made. The more you pay attention to your inner Self, the better your choices will be - the more you'll be satisfied with them, and the more confidence and personal satisfaction you will gain with each step. By using meditation and prayer regularly you gain connection with the essence of who you are.
If you have arrived to the end of this script, the chances are that you are highly motivated to try. The mentioned are probably the easiest ways to get your questions answered. Let me know how it goes for you.
Once we realize that we do not have to live behind the rules of others, and that each one of us is unique in our desires, needs, intentions and capacities, we are stepping on the way of defining and living the meaning of our own life.
As each one of us is a unique individual, our life paths will be different, and the meaning that I find to my life will be different to yours, as well as the answers to the questions that we ask in such similar ways. Questions such as 'Who am I?', 'What can I do, and want I do in my life?'; 'For whom do I want to work and do things?'; 'What impact do I want to produce with my actions?'
Many people have found meaning in staying connected with nature, some find the meaning in expressing gratitude each day, others in work assignments that bring value to others, or in having a religious belief or system of values that bring meaning to them. What those people also have is the answer to their own questions. They are ready to enrich their lives by making impact on other people's lives. They are ready to share their findings to help others arrive closer to their own meaningful path.
How can you get there?
How do you leave the comfort of the well prepared path? You may sense that a change might be a good choice for you, but it doesn't always seem worth to go out of our comfortable monotonous and repetitive life that doesn’t fulfill you. You may fear loosing all what you have and what you know, but finding your own meaning would require exactly this from you.
By Crossing to the unknown area anyway, exploring what you really want in life, by facing your fears, you have a chance to become more and more the individual that you were meant to be. Once you take a step over, you inevitably become more open to knowing the unknown and accept the differences of others, and life can start offering you more opportunities.
The more opportunities we see, the more important is to know who we are and what we want to do with the time that is left for us on this planet. To facilitate your own discovery, make yourself some quiet space, take a few minutes - at least - of your daily time when you can be alone and calm. No music, no chatter and just relax. Once ready, ask yourself the above questions and keep a pen and a sheet of paper with you in case you want to jolt down your thoughts to read them later. Repeat this exercise daily and you will notice how you get to be able to listen to yourself and move towards suitable answers for yourself. If you don't have quiet space at home, use your commuting time to do this while you are on the bus or train.
Make this time your time to explore also what activity makes you thrive and what takes all your concentration without noticing the time passing. These efforts, enjoyment, activities, deeds of help, attention to loved ones, awareness of each action, meditation and prayer, are the source of our fulfillment in life. They bring us joy and satisfaction, and they make us grow as human beings. When we detect what makes us feel this way, we have found our life purpose, the path we want to follow.
Many people change their life path to be able to live their sense of purpose on daily basis, and these changes have nothing to do with our social status, wealth or health conditions. We can find it and live it within every level of being. You can find yours as well.
Life offers plenty of distractions, so the more you can stay aware of what you want to become or achieve in life, the easier your choices will be made. The more you pay attention to your inner Self, the better your choices will be - the more you'll be satisfied with them, and the more confidence and personal satisfaction you will gain with each step. By using meditation and prayer regularly you gain connection with the essence of who you are.
If you have arrived to the end of this script, the chances are that you are highly motivated to try. The mentioned are probably the easiest ways to get your questions answered. Let me know how it goes for you.