How to Add Meaning to Your Life

2 sections / 13 steps

When something has meaning, it has a purpose; it is significant. Likewise, a life that has
meaning feels purposeful and significant. Feeling as though your life is meaningless can
lead to depression and hopelessness.[1] Adding meaning to life is not an exact science,
but it is possible to develop a meaningful life for yourself if you are willing to put some
time and consideration into the process.
.
.
.
Changing Your Perspective on Life

1
Discover your purpose. Feeling as though your life has a purpose, that you
have an impact and you are making the most of your abilities and your time,
can infuse your life with meaning. This may require you to try your hand at
many different things. If photography appeals to you, borrow a camera or
take a class and see how you feel. Or maybe you are interested in helping
others and are good at communicating try tutoring to see if teaching
helps you feel fulfilled.[2] Other exercises that can help you find your
purpose: [3]
. .
.

.
:
Picture yourself in old age, reflecting on your life. What sort of life
would you have liked to live? Would you feel satisfied with a life spent
 traveling all over the world, but not necessarily raising a family? Or
would you feel proud and content if you had a big, healthy family?

.


Write down your strengths and talents. In what ways could you put
these to use? In your job? As a volunteer or a friend?
.
Each night for a week, take a moment to write down events and
activities that gave you energy, pleasure, and a sense of purpose, and
which events and activities did not. Go over the list at the end of the
week and try to think of ways to maximize the enjoyable, energizing
things in your life.

.
.

2
Figure out what is important to you. Everyone has different priorities;
figuring out what is important to you is essential to living a life that is
meaningful. Make a list of five things that are important to you, then
consider whether the way you are currently living your life aligns with these
things. If not, how could you change it to better incorporate the things that
are important to you?[4]
. .

.
You may want to list things like family or health. Or you may list
things like creativity, growth, helping others, freedom, curiosity.

.
 If "creativity" is at the top of your list, but you work as an accountant,
you may want to think about a job change, or find ways to incorporate
creativity into your life (like taking a painting class, writing in your
free time, acting in a community play, etc.).

3
Write down the reasons why you feel you need to add more meaning to your
life. Why do you feel you need to do this? Have you experienced a big life
event? Maybe you feel like you are stuck in a rut. Whatever the reason, write
down your reasons for wanting to add meaning to your life. You can write
them on paper or type them on your computer. This will help you
understand why it is important for you, and also help you organize your
thoughts.
.


.

Understand the importance of purposeful living. Having a sense of
purpose increases quality of life, and may even help you live longer.[5]
.
Be aware that meaning is not the same as happiness. You may be
happy, but not be living a meaningful life. On the other hand, living a
meaningful life does not necessarily mean you will be happy.[6]
Thats
not to say that being happy is not important, but instead, that you
should not expect finding meaning to mean finding happiness.

.
.
4
Set a goal for yourself. Think about something you have always wanted to
do. Maybe you want to get into the habit of jogging, or maybe you want to
write a novel. Regardless of what it is, setting a goal to complete this dream
will help you feel purposeful.[7]
.

.
If your goal is to run a marathon, then you can set that as your
ultimate goal. However, it is important to break that goal down into
more specific, manageable goals. There is plenty of evidence that
suggests that breaking a big goal down into smaller, actionable steps
makes you more likely to achieve that goal.[8]

.
Keep a journal of your progress. This will help you when you are
feeling less motivated because it gives you an opportunity to
re-motivate yourself, and to see how far youve already come.

5
Change the way you think about your career. Martin Luther King Jr. once
said, whatever your lifes work, do it well.[9] If you have a job that you dont
find meaningful, then focus on being the best at your job. This, in and of
itself, can add meaning because it requires you to go to work each day with
a goal in mind.
." " .


.
You can also try to look for small ways that your jobs allow you to
help others or even just yourself. For example, if you work at a day
 care, you are helping not only the children you care for, but also the
families of the children by allowing them time to go to work or take
care of personal things. If youre a teacher, not only do you help other
people learn, but you also learn many things about many topics too.

.
.

6
Become aware of the things for which you are grateful. It may sound silly,
but taking the time to write down or at least notice things you are grateful
for can help you feel like your life is more meaningful.[10] Expressing
gratitude for you have, instead of worrying about what you do not have, can
help you refocus and connect with the world around you.[11] Connecting with
nature, other people, or a higher power can help bring meaning to your life.
.


.
.
.
For example, maybe you are grateful for you comfortable bed, maybe
you are grateful that you dont have to get up early in the morning, or
that you have a friend you can call at any time of the day or night.

.

Try to practice becoming mindful of the great things you have on a
regular basis. Even if it is just noticing something that makes you feel
grateful for a few extra seconds each day.
.
Cultivating gratitude reminds us that, even when bad things happen
or don't go the way we planned, there are still good things in our
 lives.[12] Eliminating that feeling that you should always have more can
help you see what is truly meaningful in your life.

. .

7
Seek help. Sometimes, we may get very caught up in our own thoughts,
which can make it difficult to find solutions. If you are having a difficult time,
you can talk with a mental health professional who can give you an
unbiased perspective. You can also talk with a trusted friend or family
member, they may have had similar experiences or just suggestions about
things you can try.
.

.
Dont let the stigma that often surrounds therapy discourage you from
trying it. Nearly everyone can benefit from being able to talk about
their fears and worries with an unbiased person.[13]

.
.
Making Life Changes

1
Build close relationships. This can be with family or friends you already
have, but it can also be with new people. Either way, take the time to build
close relationship with others. This is one great way to add meaning to your
life because these relationships are deep, and provide benefit to you as well
in the form of love and support.[14] Some ways to strengthen your
relationships include:
.
.
: .
 Become a great listener. Instead of waiting for your turn to talk, or
checking your phone while someone is speaking, turn your focus
onto that person and what he is saying. Show you are listening by
nodding, asking follow-up questions, and repeating things back to
them (like "So, what you're saying is...").
.

.
.
Learn healthy ways to express your emotions. Knowing how to
manage your anger can help prevent you from yelling, snapping, or
engaging in abusive behavior with others.
.

.
Show that you are trustworthy. When you say you are going to do
something, follow through and do it. Tell the truth, be consistent, and
if you're wrong, own up to it.[15]

.

.

2
Work through problems in your current relationships. Sometimes having
close relationships with people can be very challenging. There can be many
reasons why they are difficult, but one reason is that people who are close
to you often challenge you to open up, or to reflect on your beliefs.[16]
. .

.
Despite the stress that these relationships might bring from time to
time, research has shown that, unless they are physically or
 emotionally abusive, they are important for developing a sense of
meaning.[17]


.
Consider family or couples therapy to help you work through
problems with family or significant others. A therapist can act as a
mediator and help you communicate in healthy, productive ways.

.
Learn to set boundaries. Setting healthy boundaries is a way to
protect yourself and improve your sense of self.
.
Communicate assertively. Being assertive doesn't mean aggressive
it means you are stating your needs while still respecting the needs of
others.

.

.

3
Be compassionate. The Dalai Lama said: "Compassion is what makes our
lives meaningful."[18]Sometimes this is easy, but many times it is a
challenge. When you see someone suffering or doing something that
annoys you, try to put yourself in his shoes. Think about how you would feel
or behave if you were facing the same situation. Hopefully by doing this, you
will be encouraged to act, either by trying to help the suffering person or
showing understanding.
" " .




.
 This also applies to your attitude about yourself. Sometimes, you will
make mistakes, and that is OK. Try to be as compassionate towards
yourself as you would be to someone you really care about.

.

Compassionate actions activate the pleasure center of your brain, so
you feel great whenever you help someone else.[19] Compassionate
people also make better friends, parents, and spouses, so showing
compassion can help improve your relationships.

.
.

4
Make donations. Although this may not at first seem like a way to be
grateful, donating time, money to help support an organization, or donating
goods (like giving canned foods to a soup kitchen) is a way of
demonstrating that you appreciate what you have. You can be charitable in
many ways. You can donate your time, your money, your talents, or simply a
few minutes of your time to a friend in need. However, understand that you
cant just donate an hour of your time once a year. Research shows that you
need to be charitable on a regular basis to receive the positive benefits of
doing so.[20]
.
.
.

.
Try doing something you love as a volunteer activity. Again, this
helps you to put your own life in perspective, especially if you
volunteer with people, animals, or situations that are far worse off
than youve ever been.[21]
 .
.

For example, if you love animals, volunteer as often as you can at the
local shelter. If you love children, see if you can volunteer at a local
foster home or community center.

.

5
Search for a new career. Perhaps you have already tried changing your
attitude about your current job without results. It may be time for you to look
for other job options.
.
.
Before ending up in another job that feels meaningless to you, take
the time to write down the things you value in life. For example, you
might value kindness, or you might value generosity. You might value
helping people, or making people laugh. Write down every single
thing that comes into your mind. Doing this can help you identify
thins you might enjoy doing.
.
.

. .
Consider the activities you wouldnt mind doing for free. For example,
if you enjoy volunteering in soup kitchens, why not turn it into a
career helping the homeless. There are many non-profit organizations
who require people to organize housing, develop advocacy programs,
and/or provide counseling.
.
.

.
It may also be possible to do an internship in a position you think you
might be interested in. This will help you decide whether or not the
job is right for you without making huge life changes.


.

6
Be courageous. Reflecting on your daily habits is scary. It requires you to
really be honest with yourself about how you live your life. You may have to
make big changes to get to that sense of purpose, and it is a journey that
you will spend your whole life on.[22]


.
.
.
If you decide that what you really want to be doing with your life is
something that requires big life changes (e.g. moving around the
world, investing a lot of your savings, or shaking up your daily
routine), then you really have to try and look past your fear. Fear often
keeps us from doing what we really want to be doing.[23]


.
Building confidence and acknowledging your fears can help you build
courage.

.
Tips
 Create meaning in your life. Meaning will not come to you without work. In

order to find your purpose, you will have to put in effort through reflection

on your values and thinking about the perspective we choose to take.[24]

Dont expect meaning to just come to you.

.
.

Warnings

Finding meaning in your life likely includes a lot of self-reflection, which

can sometimes be scary and/or emotionally painful. Know that this is part

of the process. If it feels like too much, write in a journal or talk about your

feelings with a trusted friend or family member, or a mental health

professional.

.
.
.