A heady question to be sure.
The meaning of life is not universal. It is going to be very different for every human being. Why is there no one answer for everyone? Where do we find the answers if they exist? How do we define our Why? You have to look within.
Simon Sinek wrote a book Find Your Why, that sparked millions to start their personal search for their own personal “WHY”. Still many find it difficult to define their WHY and find real meaning and motivation to reach their goals and aspirations. The internal journey required to define your WHY is difficult and sometimes painful. But the clearer you become on your specific vision, and the purpose of your life, the faster and easier change follows.
Finding direction and truly understanding your WHY can be both liberating and frustrating. But when you commit to establishing a clear and concise WHY you will find confidence, calm and meaning. You wouldn’t need external or artificial motivation to act, your WHY will drive you to action. Your purpose is a powerful catalyst because it will lead you to the change necessary to achieve your goals. It will drive you to “live deliberately instead of living by accident” as Sinek says.
Living deliberately means you are guided by an inner WHY compass which serves as a directional beacon. You no longer live your life by hap-instance. You aren’t living from experience to experience hoping something sticks. You would be yearning for something to happen. You are now purposely seeking out experiences that feed your WHY. You are deliberately choosing a course of action that is leading your to fulfill the essence of our WHY.
Often it takes a catastrophic event to force people into defining their WHY. No matter where you are in life, it is never too late. When you are up against the ropes, your WHY becomes greater than the potential defeat you face. It can give hope and courage to live another day, to overcome another obstacle. You may not succeed every time, but you wouldn’t view failure as a defining end. Rather you will use the lesson to solidify your purpose and feed your WHY. The courage it takes to truly, deeply define your WHY leads to real fulfillment and happiness. Understanding what your WHY serves is a compelling, pulling force that leads toward success.
A defined WHY is what makes you stand out. Your WHY is what makes you different and is the magnet that drives you forward. It will attract new people and repel others that don’t serve your WHY. It will lead you to act in ways that move you closer to fulfilling your WHY and identify the actions and behavior you want to leave in the past and start doing in the future.
Shallow goals, purposeless desires and hallow wants will only move you so far. T. Harv Eker is an author, businessman and motivational speaker known for his theories on wealth and motivation. He said, “If you are willing to do only what’s easy, life will be hard. But if you are willing to do what’s hard, life will be easy.” Sounds counter intuitive, but if you are willing, the journey will be much more fulfilling and rich.
Motivational speakers and inspirational leaders all coalesce around this singular concept. Finding your WHY. Why? Because this singular concept lies at the heart, the very core of transformation. To truly make meaningful and lasting change, that change must be central to your core purpose, to your WHY. This circular process expands as you become more specific and more focused on your specific WHY. As you work you way through the maze of life you will find the path clearer if it is focused on WHY you started forward in the first place. Remember life is not simply a journey it is a destination.
Consider this example. You want to lose weight. You go on a diet and after a few weeks lose some weight. Then you lose focus and return to old habits and gain the weight right back. The reason you didn’t keep the weight off is because losing weight was only a small part of your developing WHY. The WHY is deeper. More complex. More specific. If you aren’t clear what the WHY is you wouldn’t operate, behave or think differently long-term. That is because you have not long-term vision or goal in mind. You haven’t clearly defined your WHY.
Finding the meaning of life may be right in front of you and with some soul searching, reading, examining, deep discussion and contemplation you can define it for yourself.
The video that accompanies this blog is a great soundtrack for you as you investigate and ultimately discover your WHY. Like an archaeologist, you have to dig for your real purpose. Exploring the unknown will help you discover the possible.