Recently I found myself asking, what is the meaning of my life? What is my purpose? Oh, if only it would hit me like a lightning bolt, all would be clear. I recently lost of loved one and while I never thought this would lead me to questioning my own life as a result, it has come up for me.
I used to think meaning was something you find, not something you create. One day just the right set of circumstances would come along, or perhaps through volunteer efforts or giving of myself in some monumental and impactful way (can you say Mother Teresa or Forrest Gump?), that I would know my life had meaning. What I realize though now is that meaning isn’t something you find, it’s something you make. Something I can make each and every moment and I have a choice.
For example, I have had opportunities in recent years to get pretty clear about my vision for my life and my values. My vision is to "live a creative and inspired life, sharing my gifts and talents with others." My top 3 values are authenticity, well-being, and meaningful work. (By the way, this type of work on vision and values is something I would love to facilitate further with blog readers – so let me know if you are interested).
What I know now about meaning in my life, is that it’s there in a lot of little ways but it’s up to me to be present enough in each moment to feel it. It’s up to me to trust myself enough to see things for what they are, and not be swayed by what everyone else may be saying around me. For example, if I am in a meeting at work and I am stating my opinion, idea, or what is really true for me, this is living my value of authenticity. In my work as a leader, I have the opportunity to share some of my gifts every day such as leadership, a talent for creating order out of chaos, the ability to deliver results – this is also meaningful work or can be. For a long time, I didn’t think about the little aspects of my everyday life as being part of the big “meaning” in my life - but they are. They don’t have to be if I choose to interpret them in other ways, and for a long time I didn’t. Now, I find it helps center me or brings a smile to my face when I do. Another example, I have been a habitual exerciser for many years but it wasn’t until about 2-3 years ago that I really came to realize that I like working out, I really enjoy it! It’s another example of meaning – one of my top values is well-being so now when I go to the gym, I often think “not only do I like this, but it supports one of my top values. How cool is that?”
I don’t want to give anyone that idea that using these little moments to create meaning for myself is like saying something that is not that enjoyable or enriching is good. It is actually becoming more to clear for me to not only notice what supports me, but also what doesn’t. Noticing the small things gives me an opportunity to course-correct in real time. It creates a window to take an action that is even more in alignment with my authenticity, vision, values, or what have you.
· In what ways do you see opportunities to find meaning in your every day life?
· What are some of the challenges you see in this?
· If you are a parent, what opportunities do you see for role-modeling “meaning” for your family?
