I would like more meaning and purpose in my life.

1. What gives you the experience of a meaningful life?
2. Did you set out to create this with intention?

31 comments

  2. 1. Helping others.
    2. If and when I have that thought top of mind almost everything works out well/better especially when compared to my selfish pursuits. i.e. go to work with the thought of helping others rather than focusing on getting ahead and “my career”

  4. Success is an individual thing. What is success to you might not be to me, mine might not be to you, and nobody can really force you into a box of what it is if you don’t let them. So trying to find what is meaningful for others and shoehorn yourself into that doesn’t sound like a good idea.

  5. By creating a place for myself in the world rather than looking for one

    Understanding you always completely free and that that freedom is not a burden

  6. The therapist I saw for a little basically boiled it all down to acceptance. I stopped seeing him and I workout a lot now. My point is there is no meaning so do as many drugs as possible and forget about retirement, just get STDs and waste all your money.

  7. 1. Leaving the people I care about better off than I found them. Accomplishing my top 5-10 priorities before I die. Spending as much time as possible, while I’m alive, doing the things I love doing.

    2. Yep. The overall goal has sharpened and evolved over time, but I roughly set out to create the happiest life for myself that I could. My childhood sucked and my adolescent years were nothing but work and school and loneliness. I made the decision at that time that once I got out on my own, I was going to build a good life for myself. And I’m well on my way.

  9. This question can’t be answered broadly. Purpose and meaning are subjective terms. What one person finds meaningful another will find as a waste of time. So what I did for me may not work for anyone else.

    But I started by getting in better physical shape. Despise what Reddit will tell you, it’s not okay to be fat. It’s never okay to be fat. There’s no such thing as a fat healthy person. Body positivity movements online are a cancer.

    Second, I read more. Not just books on how to level out my emotions, but how to grow as an individual. How to become more competent, organized. Whether it be money, items around the house, tasks, etc.

    Lastly, learning to swallow your pride and accept you’re wrong in life and sometimes it takes an apology to certain people. They don’t have an obligation to forgive you but it felt good to me try and heal relationships from the past I damaged. After doing all these things mentioned above I noticed my quality of life start to improve drastically.

  10. I created a meaningful life when I realized I already had one. Your entire purpose can be whatever you want, it doesn’t have to be rare, or have a global impact, or require a lifetime of work. Your entire purpose in life could be to pet as many dogs as you possibly can, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

    Personally, what gives my life meaning is being kind to/fighting for others and searching for/embracing the things that bring me joy. That’s what I feel my purpose is; it fulfills me on a daily basis, will have a positive impact on the world and those around me, and it’s something I can do until I die.

  11. There’s a Japanese concept called “ikigai,” and it describes the crossroads between what you love, what you are good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs. Achieving ikigai means finding something that is a combination of all four, and I think that is the best way to have a meaningful life.

    Failing to achieve ikigai seems like it would be shitty no matter what. Osama bin Laden did something he loved, something he was good at, and something he was (presumably) paid for, but I don’t really think the world needed anything he was doing.

  12. Appreciate the small details. It’s the nuance that matters. Get lost in the big picture and you’ll always feel like the present is lacking

  13. I trained martial arts. Then I started teaching. This forged me relationships with students I taught, their parents, my fellow students, and others in the community.

  14. I found a woman that made me a better person. I want to make her life as easy as possibly. We together are so good.

  15. 26 year old here ima young lad but here’s what I learned so far.

    1. Be humble & remain grateful understand life is in cycles. Good moments don’t last and bad ones don’t last neither. Stay strong through any situation and learn from it.

    2. The more you focus your life on yourself the happier you will be. Don’t do things for others recognition do something that is true to you and you know for sure it’ll help better yourself in the endgame.

    3. You are what you attract, the way you think, the way you live, the way you talk, and the way you handle situations will determine how your present and future will be so handle yourself accordingly.

    4. Stay off social media and be connected more with the real world and the people in it. I’m going on about 2 months off of social media (Facebook, Twitter, IG, and Snapchat mainly) and the amount of clearness I have in my spirit and head is insane. The way I communicate, work, and view things is so different and I love it.

    Again I’m still learning so the list may have some additions but this what I learned so far. I had a rough childhood and my teenage/early 20s consisted of heavy deflection, depression, and bad habits. So In my mid to late 20s I’m learning to really find self peace and walk in my purpose and so far it has been the greatest feeling I ever achieved 💯

  20. we came to life whitout a pourpouse, feel free to make your own. search for new experiences and embrace the oportunities life gives you to new things, meet new people, and then choose the things and the people you like the most and identify the most to keep in your life, those are the things that will be meaningfull

  23. Make the world a better place. Be the best version of yourself

    Start small and work bigger. Outward goals

    1. Make sure you care for your family and be supportive.

    2. Take care of your neighborhood, and surroundings.

    3. Find away to have a positive impact in your industry/community/career

    Start small and work bigger. Inward goals

    1. Grow mentally. Continue to challenge yourself educationally and read books

    2. Physical health. Set goals and build yourself up physically. Sign up for a race.

    3. Spiritual growth. Whether this is faith based, or through meditation, work on yourself emotionally/spiritually/ego maintainence.

  26. Being an outlier in looks, height and physique. I also have nice hair. Most men don’t have these. No, I am spiritual but don’t buy the “looks don’t matter” mantra that the masses preach.

    Through my strengths, I have lived a rich and exciting life and have lived in many countries across the world and have never needed to waste my time chasing women as they are countless and only those that know they have a chance with me make themselves readily available.

    You could say my life has been pretty blessed and meaningful because I don’t need to worry about the small stuff. I was born into it and happy not to be a coping parrot.

  27. Intentional, definitely yes. Started volunteering at senior center and humane society. Started trying to focus on others vs myself all the time. Do good.

  28. Ran off to a Buddhist monastery in my 20s for a couple of years. Hitchhiked around and WWOOFed for a bit to learn about where my food comes from. Kicked it a bit with an underground Ayahuasca scene/therapy cult. Lived as a Cynic hermit for a while. Fell in love and almost got married. Went the non-prof route and started building community gardens in food deserts. Now I’m taking care of my my mother, working on a horse farm and learning how to ride. My plan is to eventually homestead.

    I did set out with this intention, because for better or worse, I can’t live any other way. I get suicidal real quick if I don’t. Not that I’m recommending my path, but as to the how, that came from reading. Read everything you can get your hands on. Read the Great Works. Read the scriptures of the world’s religions. Read political screeds and scientific papers and manifestos and heretical texts and subversive literature. Read it all, all you can. That’s your true heritage. Trust you’ll be able to find some path through it all, incomprehensible as it may be.

    And, most importantly, **find mentors**. Real life, in person, human beings that inspire you to emulate them with their character and actions. If you can get good at apprenticing, the world opens up to you in a way incomprehensible to those who just follow the rules.

  30. 1. Find your passion
    2. Start a family
    3. Provide physical/emotional/financial safety for your family

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