'What is your meaning and purpose?...' Some might be thinking 'wow.. that loaded!' or 'what do you mean, what is my meaning and purpose?'.. Some might say that meaning is a reason to get up in the morning and purpose is something to do that brings some level of inspiration to our day. Simply put meaning and purpose is our intention and action and when we have both within us we are driven to be active participants in our lives.
Victor Frankl discovered and shared with the world what having meaning and purpose means to humans in his book 'Man's Search for Meaning'. Frankl was interred in a concentration camp during World War II, here he learned first hand and observed that people who had a sense of purpose and meaning were able to survive horror while those that could not create this within themselves died.
The next question is 'how do I create meaning and purpose in my life?'.
I encourage you to sit in a safe space and allow your eyes to gently close and ask your self the question... 'what brings me joy?', 'what drives me forward when I feel the challenges I face are dragging me down?'.
Research has found that isolated older adults will live longer if they have a pot plant to care for. So many people during the COVID-19 Pandemic got a dog or an animal, caring for another created new meaning and purpose, love and companionship in a time where our lives were turned inwards. We do not need to implement any drastic changes in our lives to discover our meaning and purpose, small incremental changes are more sustainable in the long term.
After your reflection on the questions posed, think of one small act or intention every day that you can implement that will support you in uncovering and rediscovering what gives you a sense of meaning and purpose in your day.
Take care and go well,
Miriam