Discover
your purpose. Feeling
as though your life has a purpose, that you have an impact
and you
are making the most of your abilities and your time, can infuse your life with
meaning. This may require you to try your hand at many different things. If photography
appeals to you, borrow a camera or take a class and see how you feel. Or maybe
you are interested in helping others and are good at communicating — try
tutoring to see if teaching helps you feel fulfilled. Other exercises that can
help you find your purpose:
- Picture yourself in old age, reflecting on your life. What sort of life would you have liked to live? Would you feel satisfied with a life spent traveling all over the world, but not necessarily raising a family? Or would you feel proud and content if you had a big, healthy family?
- Write down your strengths and talents. In what ways could you put these to use? In your job? As a volunteer or a friend?
- Each night for a week, take a moment to write down events and activities that gave you energy, pleasure, and a sense of purpose, and which events and activities did not. Go over the list at the end of the week and try to think of ways to maximize the enjoyable, energizing things in your life.
Figure out what is important to you. Everyone has different priorities; figuring out
what is important to you is essential to living a life that is meaningful. Make
a list of five things that are important to you, then consider whether the way
you are currently living your life aligns with these things. If not, how could
you change it to better incorporate the things that are important to you?
- You may want to list things like family or health. Or you may list things like creativity, growth, helping others, freedom, curiosity.
- If "creativity" is at the top of your list, but you work as an accountant, you may want to think about a job change, or find ways to incorporate creativity into your life (like taking a painting class, writing in your free time, acting in a community play, etc.).
Write down the reasons why you feel you need to add more meaning to your
life. Why do
you feel you need to do this? Have you experienced a big life event? Maybe you
feel like you are stuck in a rut. Whatever the reason, write down your reasons
for wanting to add meaning to your life. You can write them on paper or type
them on your computer. This will help you understand why it is important for
you, and also help you organize your thoughts.
- Understand the importance of purposeful living. Having a sense of purpose increases quality of life, and may even help you live longer.
- Be aware that meaning is not the same as happiness. You may be happy, but not be living a meaningful life. On the other hand, living a meaningful life does not necessarily mean you will be happy. That’s not to say that being happy is not important, but instead, that you should not expect finding meaning to mean finding happiness.
Set a goal for yourself. Think about something you have always wanted to
do. Maybe you want to get into the habit of jogging, or maybe you want to write
a novel. Regardless of what it is, setting a goal to complete this dream will
help you feel purposeful.
- If your goal is to run a marathon, then you can set that as your ultimate goal. However, it is important to break that goal down into more specific, manageable goals. There is plenty of evidence that suggests that breaking a big goal down into smaller, actionable steps makes you more likely to achieve that goal.
- Keep a journal of your progress. This will help you when you are feeling less motivated because it gives you an opportunity to re-motivate yourself, and to see how far you’ve already come.
Change the way you think about your career. Martin Luther King Jr. once
said, “whatever your life’s work, do it well.” If you have a job that you don’t
find meaningful, then focus on being the best at your job. This, in and of
itself, can add meaning because it requires you to go to work each day with a
goal in mind.
- You can also try to look for small ways that your jobs allow you to help others or even just yourself. For example, if you work at a day care, you are helping not only the children you care for, but also the families of the children by allowing them time to go to work or take care of personal things. If you’re a teacher, not only do you help other people learn, but you also learn many things about many topics too.
Become aware of the things for which you are grateful. It may sound silly, but taking
the time to write down or at least notice things you are grateful for can help
you feel like your life is more meaningful. Expressing gratitude for you have,
instead of worrying about what you do not have, can help you refocus and
connect with the world around you. Connecting with nature, other people, or a
higher power can help bring meaning to your life.
- For example, maybe you are grateful for you comfortable bed, maybe you are grateful that you don’t have to get up early in the morning, or that you have a friend you can call at any time of the day or night.
- Try to practice becoming mindful of the great things you have on a regular basis. Even if it is just noticing something that makes you feel grateful for a few extra seconds each day.
- Cultivating gratitude reminds us that, even when bad things happen or don't go the way we planned, there are still good things in our lives. Eliminating that feeling that you should always have more can help you see what is truly meaningful in your life.
Seek
help.
Sometimes, we may get very caught up in our own thoughts, which can make it
difficult to find solutions. If you are having a difficult time, you can talk
with a mental health professional who
can give you an unbiased perspective. You can also talk with a trusted friend
or family member, they may have had similar experiences or just suggestions
about things you can try.
- Don’t let the stigma that often surrounds therapy discourage you from trying it. Nearly everyone can benefit from being able to talk about their fears and worries with an unbiased person.
