We are all seeking to be happy in this life – but it’s far less often that we seek meaning. Whereas, come to think about it, leading a meaningful life may be even more important and actually bring in far more satisfaction than what we believe to be happiness.
Be Focused on Really Important Things
Take a sheet of paper and enlist five (or maybe more) things that are predominant in your life – or should be. It may be anything from being more with the one you love or performing your own songs to more abstract wishes like simplifying your life or earning respect.
Keep the Mood in Control
As emerges from a number of lab studies, there is a link between a positive mood and having a meaningful conception of life. If you succeed in maintaining a positive mood you may experience a more meaningful existence.
Find Purpose in Life
What is your reason for living for tomorrow? For the next month, year? What would be the basis upon which you will build your life? What lofty principles will you uphold? What inspirations have you got for others? Discovering the purpose that drives your life isn’t that easy and can take a lot of time and reflection.
How you can set about finding your life purpose:
• For a start, pinpoint your strong points.
• Having identified them, cast about ways how you can benefit people by applying your strengths.
Follow The Ikigai Concept
Another concept to follow is Ikigai, being centuries-old wisdom about how to lead a worthy life. The concept originates from Okinawa, Japanю
Ikigai boils down to observing four maxims which are quite simple:
Do things you like to do.
Do things you can do well.
Do things necessary for people.
Do things that will bring reward.
Don’t Abandon Your Passion
All of us have things we are passionate about. These things brighten our lives and make us feel alive. When we are into them, we feel full of purpose and joyful. Sheer love unites you with what you are doing. Also, we realize that our passion can be embodied into something tangible and delivered to the world – which augments the sense of meaningfulness.
Have Goals for Each Day
As you get ready to step out towards the new day, make up a shortlist of goals that will make your day rewarding – about three or so. See that they are aligned with your basic principles. Start with the most difficult one. (If you list too many items it may prove to be unmanageable.)
Avoid Overburdening Your Life
Oftentimes we just don’t have time to do the things we love – that happens if our lives are cluttered. If we undertake to make our lives simpler we can make it more manageable and less stressful. This decision will help you be more productive and find time to devote to what you really love and appreciate.
Have Only Best of Friends
Our self-esteem is basically dependent on ourselves, but, humans being social animals, no wonder it is shaped by many opinions and attitudes coming from other people. Our friends and immediate environment play a big part in that, so if you want to support (and, to follow, the sense of purpose and meaning), make sure you are surrounded by those who respect you and understand your worth.
If you encounter people who appreciate you and your activities, cultivate them.
Develop Self-Awareness
Living your life every day, stay aware both when you do something and when you don’t do anything special, just go about your usual business of living. Try not to lose concentration on your principles and passions, and take time out to analyze and assess your actions checking if they are in accordance with your beliefs. Take a hand at predicting what is going to occur and consider your behavior on probable occasions. You will find self-awareness a great help since it’s keeping your mind clear and lucid.
Think What You Can Give Back
If your beliefs and concerns find tangible embodiment, it may be something you can give to the world, give away. This action brings about a strong sense of purpose. The oftener you can do that, the more purposefulness you will bring into your life. Find where your gifts will be most required and desirable.
Write Down the Story of Your Life
If you undertake to write out your story, a logical and successive narration will show a deeper meaning and greater clarity in what occurred to you.
Seen from a long-term perspective, such a narration can help you escape the common everyday outlook and realize how your life’s events are joined together in a complete story. It will provide a better understanding of what sort of person you are and what is happening to you now.
Once you have written down your life story, you could alter it to make it more positive. You can’t very well change your factual foundation, nevertheless, episodes can be edited, scenes can be looked upon from a slightly different viewpoint, things can be done to make it sound better, more cogent.
Sharpen Your Focus
Many of us are given to reaching out for several goals at once thereby diffusing our energy and making little headway. It’s very counterproductive and stress-conducing. By focusing in on one or two main tasks you take off quite a lot of stress accompanying continuous multitasking, achieve better success, and eventually will be happier. Mind your goals are consistent with your beliefs and relate to whatever you feel passionate about – it will ensure you a healthy drive towards success.
Find Ways to Express Yourself Appropriately
Quite a number of people around habitually make out they are someone different from what they are. Usually it happens because people are striving to adapt to their surroundings, fit in, and be accepted by others. But a really meaningful life cannot be lacking freedom of self-expression.
Consider the objectives you are striving towards: do they relate to the „real you“? Will they add to your personality, strengthen your innermost values? What if they are not your objectives? A meaningful life presupposes that you are not on a wild-goose chase after something that won’t enrich your life.
Benefit Yourself and Others in Many Small Ways
We can’t – and won’t – be all heroes and go about saving people, but we don’t need that to fill our lives with higher meaning! There are thousands of little ways and means to make life around better, and people do it many times every day, satisfied with small but important achievements.
Imagine, nearing the later stage of your life, you will have a choice of saying that during your life you did one enormous thing that proved to be a great benefit to everyone – or that you toiled every day performing many little things that created relief and comfort for those around you; what would appeal to you more?
What Legacy Are You Going to Leave Behind You?
You may not think about it now, but when you have time to reflect back on your life, later on, it will bring comfort to understand that there is still in the world a plentiful and positive legacy left behind you. It won’t be for a while yet, but now’s the best time to consider this legacy.
By now you must already have amassed something that will make up your personal legacy with the passing of time. See if it is as worthy as you would like it to be, and just as meaningful.
