So what is the meaning of life? What is the purpose
of life?
I don’t think any single answer can be ubiquitously
shared and be applicable for everyone. So I’ll answer for myself, from my
current state of understanding.
I think the meaning of life is whatever meaning we
give it—and we can literally give it any meaning that “feels right” to us.
There’s a blank canvas in front of you. You are the artist of your life, and
you are free to paint any picture that pleases you—and change it at any time
for that matter.
What “feels right” to you? What do you want your life
to mean? What do you want your life to be about?
I think the purpose of life is to discover what
makes you happy, and then go do more of it. The most interesting answer I have heard to “What is the purpose of life?” came from my husband. He said:
“The purpose of life is to do what makes you come alive.
When you stop, you die.”
For me, the answer is simple: (in addition to my
family) learning and sharing about empowering topics—like all the content on
his site—is on the top of that list.
So, what makes you come alive?
Parting Words on Life Meaning
I wrote and re-wrote this article over the past 4
weeks–cutting more than half the content down to the essentials. The point of
this article can be summarized by the following:
Life is short.
Life is precious.
What are you dreaming about? Go do it. Go make it
happen. Go do it despite fear and doubt and the opinions of others. Go do it,
because it makes you happy. Go do it, because it makes you come alive.
Who are you holding a grudge against? Decide to
forgive them, today, right now. Decide that you will heal, and decide to tell a
different story. Give yourself permission to be free, because you are.
Where do you want to visit? Start planning for it,
even if you don’t yet have the money. Keep moving in that direction and I
promise you that you will find a way.
Who do you love? When you’re with them, give them
your full attention. Create the time and space to connect with them. Put love
at the top of your list.
In the end, love is all that matters. Love for ourselves,
for other people, for our work, for all the unique experiences of life.
Life is simple, but we insist on making it
complicated. Let’s make it simple again, by focusing on what matters.