Meaningful Life
meaningfullife
What makes life meaningful?
That is perhaps the most important question of our lives. For those who are interested, I would like to share 8 criteria which can go a long way to achieving that goal. So, let's get down to it. Here's the first criteria.
liveaffordablywell For most of us, income is limited and we find ourselves juggling or struggling with our expenses. It's no longer a surprise that a lot of people are spending more than what they earn. They do so by taking loans from different sources, some legal and others not so. If their spending does not result in new sources of income, they will eventually find themselves in trouble. But is this pattern avoidable? Logically yes as we can mostly control our own spending or religiously put away a certain percentage of our income and spend only what's left. However, the most important thing is that we need to be able to do this with strict discipline and it has to be made part of our routines. Living well affordably will not only help yourself but will also help our planet as we learn to use or buy only what is needed. This helps in reducing the damage done by overuse of resources caused by mass consumerism. So, make it a habit to save some of your income on a regular basis and always ask yourself if you really need to make that purchase. You'll be doing yourself and everyone else a great favour !!
neverstoplearning
The third element of a meaningful life brings us back to our childhood.
Remember the time when we're small and the whole world was a wonder. We marvel at everything we see and learn and can never seem to get enough. When done right, learning brings meaning. It feeds us with energy to want to learn more and in some ways this curiosity for life keeps us young. Somehow, we slowly lose this precious gift of acquiring new knowledge as we get older. This could be due to the additional responsibilities we shoulder when we grow older or it could be that life slowly ebbs away our curiosity. Learning new things is a form of good excitement which can lead to a more meaningful and happy life. We should never stop learning if we want to stay young at heart. So what are you waiting for? Read some books around the topics you like, pick up a new skill you've always wanted to learn or join new activities you're interested in. No matter how you look at it, we stand to gain so much by continuous learning.
The fourth element of a meaningful life deals with one of the most negative feeling we can have.
Regret is perhaps the most useless of feelings. Not only does it brings us down, it may harm us by focusing our emotions on the negative side.
As Robbie Williams sang "No regrets, they don't work", we should heed this advice. While we may face disappointments from time to time, never let it descend into regret.
Recognise the moment when regret starts to creep in and put an immediate stop to it. If our actions or inaction have caused us any loss, we should learn from it and move on. If necessary, allow yourself some time to be sad or to reflect but never ever allow yourself to regret.
But how do we lessen the possibility of feeling regret. We can do so by going through our due diligence and thought process before deciding on any course of action or inaction. So, if things do go wrong, we have the right to console ourselves that we've done our best given the information we had at the time when the decision was made.
Remember. No matter what happens, regret will never be your solution.
The feeling of envy is supposed to help us improve ourselves by comparing with those who are better off in certain aspects of life.
However, this feeling can also breed unhealthy thoughts and competition.
There are 2 aspects to replacing envy with something more positive in order to live a more meaningful life.
First, if we can't help but compare ourselves to others or if there are people we look up to and would like to emulate, we should turn envy into admiration or curiosity. This can have a better effect of driving us forward to achieve what has been achieved by others. Or even better, to surpass their achievements.
Another way is to analyse that need for envy in the first place and if what we envy is really what we want to achieve. If these achievements are not in line with what you have in your plans, then why envy at all. Indifference may be the answer in this case.
Ideally, we should be genuinely happy for what others have achieved and congratulate or even help them if possible. That is so much better than feeling envy for them.
As for yourself, know what you want and make your own dream a reality. You were never meant to live the lives of others.
The sixth element of a meaningful life is one which none of us can escape from.
We play many roles in our lives. Each of these roles requires commitment, responsibility and accountability for those who assume it.
More often than not, success is defined by how we take on these values in the execution of our roles in daily life.
Therefore it is important that when we assume a certain role, we need to be sure that we have the capability, time and character to do what's right as the consequences or repercussions of us not doing that may affect more than just ourselves.
Organisations nowadays focus on empowerment but this may easily lead to abandonment if not executed properly when leaders and subordinates are waiting for each other to take the first step. A responsible organisational structure would prevent this from happening.
Remember that a problem left unattended or if we choose to procrastinate, there is a good chance that it may come back to haunt us in a bigger and more unpredictable way.
So, give a thought to the roles that you play in your daily lives. Have you been attending to them with adequate attention and responsibility that is required?
Do the right thing when it comes to responsibility and you'll be rewarded with a more meaningful and successful life.
behumble & begrateful
We have always been taught from young to strive for better things and to not rest on our laurels. Though this may be good advice, it needs to be balanced with the values here.
For, what is the point of reaching great heights if we lose ourselves in the process. Keeping our heads on our shoulders and our feet firmly planted on the ground while we work towards our dreams and aspirations will give us a better appreciation for life.
No matter how high we climb, we do so with the strength of others. No man is an island and if we think back to the time when we started our life or our career, we will easily be able to attribute our success to numerous people who have helped us along the way. Be grateful for these angels in your life.
No matter how celebrated or successful we are, we need to keep in mind that there will always be someone else better than us in one way or another. We should be humble in our success as invariably, we ride on shoulders of giants to reach where we are. Forgetting the contributions of others will only diminish who we are as human beings.
Humility is indeed one of the best policies we can practice in our lives and in order to do so effectively we should make it a point to remember those who have helped us along the way and to appreciate the journeys that we've taken to reach where we are.
Being grateful and humble will spur us to share our knowledge with others, to guide them to better lives and to contribute to society in positive ways.
giveback As we progress in life, our own wealth of knowledge may come from our own experience or from the experience of others . For those who are lucky enough, we have mentors who have been kind enough to help us along the way. What we do with all this knowledge and experience can make a big difference in our lives and also the lives of others. By sharing our stories with others who can benefit from them, like our children or those who are just starting off their careers, not only do we ensure that knowledge is passed on but we may also be able to help someone avoid the same pitfalls or difficulties that have hindered us in the past. For those who have made it big financially, monetary assistance to others is something that can be considered. Providing free services for charity is yet another way of giving back to the community. No amount is too little when it comes to giving back to society. So remember, give back to society when you're ready. Start with small efforts and contributions and notice your life and the life of others you're touching change for the better.
Just the beginning
Realising what makes your life meaningful is only the beginning. As they say, the devil is in the details and in this case it's how you put it into practice that matters.
Nothing is more rewarding than your own journey of self discovery and here, I would like to wish you all the best as you embark on this life changing voyage.
