Finding Meaning in Life

Is meaning tied to your job or something you do on the side? Is it related to family, helping others, making money, or some creative activity? These are important questions.

Without meaning, we feel lost. Without purpose, we might not even feel like living. Yet if we even have an hour a day of meaningful activity, we feel good, in the moment, happier.

Most tie their work to meaning, but sometimes people find meaning only in what they do when not at work. This could be as simple as planting a tree. Or meaning could be helping others in some way, even in small ways.

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” – Nelson Henderson

Purpose Beyond Ego

What brings you joy? If it’s beyond the ego, that’s good. Because that means you do something from the heart.

Although, people might find meaning in making money through their job, their happiness might be short-lived. These people are usually very stressed from their job and are constantly busy or thinking about work. They never rest. Their happiness is tied to objects and external pleasures that don’t bring as much fulfillment as they thought they would.

Now people are seeking more for their own life and the world. They want to help, even if that means grabbing the plastic bottle they saw in the nearby pond or river and disposing of it properly.

I think treating the world better is one step forward, and yet that could be your ultimate purpose. There are crews of people using specialized machines that take massive amounts of trash out of the ocean. That purpose is worthwhile too. They treat earth as a shared home.

Exercise

Think about or write down all the things that provide meaning to your life. What brings you joy? This could be helping others in some way or even gardening, fishing, playing games, raising a child, caring for a disabled or elder, saving animals, etc.

After taking note, narrow it down until you find something that can last years to preferably decades. After all, many lose meaning after retirement because their purpose was tied to their job. But we can always find a new purpose or multiple purposes.

Ultimate Purpose

Is there an ultimate purpose? Something you found purpose in might not have worked out for long. So there must be a better choice: something that is beyond the ego and basic pleasures. This is why the last exercise had you think about what gives you purpose. Simple pleasures give temporary dopamine spikes, which eases anxiety and depression and sadness. But it might not last long. Or it may even damage dopamine receptors if the pleasure source was addictive.

“The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” ― Rabindranath Tagore

The ultimate purpose is helping others. There are infinite ways to do this. And even after one purpose doesn’t work out, you could still help others in another way. One job where you helped people might have ended, but you can help others in another way.

No one can tell you your purpose; they can only guide you there.

So I hope this helped guide you to at least think about your ultimate purpose in life. To me, our purpose is the same: Improve the world in some way.