It is our job to make meaning

Some of us start to ask big questions after we turn 30 (millennials a lot earlier) or after an unfortunate event happens. It is usually triggered when we face our mortality. We question why we are here in the first place. Why are we even born if we are going to die one day? What is the purpose?

I think that is exactly what we need to find out for ourselves. We are the ones who will create that meaning in our lives. There cannot be one answer that holds true for everyone. I believe we all have gifts we are born with and it is our job to find out what they are and share it with the world. I love this quote from Mark Twain.

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

Instead of being reactive to our lives, we need to get an active role in finding that meaning. If we are not in tune with who we are and take time to listen to our heart, the answer to that question will not pop up. We first have to understand who we are, what we want to be a stand for, what we value most and get aligned with our real essence – which are not society or parents driven. If we take the time then we may hear the answer. It is beautiful that we are created this way. We all come with our gifts, our own passion, our own strengths and it is wonderful to discover what they are and create a life purpose for ourselves. And we can change and tweak it if we want along the way. How wonderful is that?

Once we do that and stay in our own path everything falls in place like magic. We meet the right people, we feel excited about our own life, and we feel a lot of satisfaction. We feel significant with what we do every single day. It is not like a means to an end, every little moment and every little step we take matters. We have given meaning to our lives. When this life is close to being over we will know we had a purpose. It does not need to be results driven either. We did everything to stay in our path and purpose. That is what matters.

Once we get to that place of purpose we find out that it us usually not self-serving. We all have that side of us who wants to contribute so when our purpose includes making others’ lives better our fulfillment is exponential. We don’t decide helping others because it is noble but because we are born this way.

That is why it is even more important to get out of that routine that most of us seem to follow with no questions asked. Life does not seem so exciting when we are in autopilot mode. Most of us are trained to follow the path given to us; of course at some point we get exhausted because we never aligned ourselves with who we really are. It does not give us satisfaction even if we have all the “stuff” we want or if we are “successful” in the eyes of others.

I love the transition that happens when I help clients embrace their gifts, their potential and start to head in their own direction. There is such a sense of relief and satisfaction. There could be pain on the way but no more suffering. The same exact truth is valid for businesses too. When we have a purposeful business we attract the right kind of clients and get more motivated.

So when you come to that place where you question “why are we here?” find the answer for yourself. The answer may not come up right away but it is worth spending the time to dwell on it. Start from the end: What would you love to leave behind when you are gone? How do you want to be remembered? It does not need to make the headlines but it must mean something to you. Like Marianne Williamson asks:

“Do you want to live a life out of circumstances or a life out of great vision?”