Find your meaning
🧠 I've been thinking about how my view of what constitutes a meaningful life is different now to what it used to be. Perhaps my values have changed as I’ve gotten older? Motherhood has certainly made me reconsider things.
The brilliant existential psychotherapist Irvin Yalom explains that life's inherent lack of meaning can lead us to experience existential guilt - a feeling of potential unfulfilled. Our challenge is to infuse life with our own meaning, aligning our actions with our deepest values.
📢 Ask yourself:
“What gives my life meaning?”
“Have life events, such as parenthood or career shifts, caused this to change?”
"Have there been times when I've lost sight of what's truly meaningful to me?"
💡The revelation: Amidst this chaos, the quiet wisdom of Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy whispers to me.
Logotherapy, originating from the Greek word "logos" or "meaning," is based on the premise that we are driven by a desire to find meaning in life. It teaches us that even in the darkest of times, we can find hope, purpose, and significance.
Frankl suggests 3 ways in which we can discover meaning: through creating a work or doing a deed, by experiencing something or encountering someone, and by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.
Through our actions: Think about a teacher dedicating his life to educating underprivileged children, finding profound fulfillment in shaping young minds. Or, consider an inventor, pouring her heart into her work, finding meaning in the process of creation itself.
Through our experiences: A gardener, for instance, might find profound joy and purpose in the simple act of nurturing plants. Or a music lover might find meaning in the depth of emotion they experience while listening to a symphony.
Through our attitude towards suffering: A man diagnosed with a terminal illness, instead of succumbing to despair, uses his experience to raise awareness about the disease and provide emotional support to those suffering from it.
Frankl, who survived the horrors of Nazi concentration camps, himself found meaning in suffering. He wrote, "In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning." This is not to glamorize suffering but to recognize that even in our lowest moments, we have the power to find significance and purpose.
Life's meaning isn't out there waiting for us. It’s not a hidden treasure to be unearthed, but a tapestry that we weave with every moment of our existence. It's personal, subjective, and ever-evolving.
Frankl also wrote, "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." And it's in this change - this adaptation of perspective - where we might discover an expanded, deeper sense of meaning.
Perhaps the secret lies in acknowledging that life's inherent meaninglessness isn't a void to be feared but a blank canvas. For we are the artists of our lives, holding the power to paint a picture that resonates with us.
Because ultimately, meaning isn't something to be found, it's something to be created. And we are the creators.
💛 Product I’m loving: Buying the right mattress can feel like a big investment. As someone with a bad back, who values my sleep, I can’t recommend this high-density pocket sprung mattress from John Lewis enough! Handmade in Yorkshire using cashmere, cheap it ain’t, but it’s literally like sleeping on a cloud. Plus it’s temperature regulating and truly gives great lumbar support.
Thanks for being here,
