We often chase a life of happiness, but really, happiness is just an emotion felt in the here and now. And like all other emotions, happiness can fade away. When people talk about whether they feel good or bad, it’s always determined by their level of happiness. However, meaning is enduring and long lasting, that’s what we should be chasing and determining our feelings around – meaning. Living a meaningful life is better than a happy life. The chase for happiness has become a rather selfish behavior, while trying to live a life of meaning extends us outside of ourselves to connect with people and life around us.
We see something interesting with negative events that happen in our lives. While they decrease our happiness, they increase the meaning in life. Emotional and traumatic events can build character if we rise up with resilience, deepening our life experience. Also, if we have a purpose in life, moving towards those goals adds more meaning to our lives. Yes, that too has potential to add stress but it helps us to focus on what we’re doing in the present.
Of course, we need to find a balance between happiness and meaning. We can’t turn into workaholics in efforts to stay present and be proud of our achievements. That’s not the best approach to making our lives more meaningful. And yet, we can’t get so down on life when we aren’t experiencing constant happiness.
A great way to boost your life’s meaningfulness, is to keep a gratitude journal. Take time every day to write down what you’re thankful for in life and why. For some, starting can be difficult or maybe you write about the same things each time. If that’s the case, look at the simplest smallest things in your life. Like your breath, being thankful to have a natural automatic breath. Being thankful that your body just does it for you, you don’t have to think about it, allowing you to think and do other things with your life. Starting small can open your heart and mind to so many other things, it’ll catch on like wildfire. Then you will catch yourself not being able to stop – which is actually extremely amazing!
The key is to find meaning in the present. Don’t be hung up on the past or future, stay in the present. Yes, we can find meaning in lessons learned in retrospect but we shouldn’t dwell. And yes, we should have goals for the future that give us something to work towards now, but don’t live in and for the future. Appreciate all that is happening now in your life, find new things to be grateful for each day, and you’ll find yourself living such a meaningful life. And when life is great, how could you not be happy about it?
If you’re struggling to be happy and find meaning in your life, please contact Crownview Medical Group to connect with a specialized medical professional who will help you to live the life you were meant to live – a happy meaningful one.
Resources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-time-cure/201509/living-meaningful-life
