Life, Lessons & Love

The Meaning Of Life

June 16, 2022

“All you can do is keep dreaming, dreaming. It’s up to you, the meaning, the meaning.” — M83 - Laser Gun feat. Mai Lan (Audio)

What is the meaning of life?

The simple and blunt answer is that there is no meaning… and no purpose… but what you choose.

So, from here, the correct question is:

“What choices should I make to bring purpose and meaning into my life?”

That… is an excellent question!

And that is why you'll find the question “what do you want?” echoed throughout this book.

To be more precise, it's often really asking: “What do I think I want?”

You might be wrong. But you only know what you know right now. The only way is forward.

So choose an aim. A goal. A mission. Or simply, the next small step.

Pay attention. What do you want now?

Let your mind roam. Let it span decades or narrow down to minutes. Don’t be intimidated by scale. Sometimes what you want is as simple as putting away the dishes. Or… founding a company. What do you want?

Write it down.

Whether it’s a to-do list or a vision board, a sticky note or a journal entry—do what works for you. Refine your tools over time. Ask others. Ask yourself. Talk it out. Reflect. Repeat.

And remember this: Jordan B. Peterson suggests that discovering what you don’t want is just as powerful. That’s the stick—the thing you fear—which often drives your desire forward. If fear motivates you, that’s okay. This list may help.

Look at the five love languages for inspiration.

If you aim to do what you love, start with "How do you love?"

There are five principal ways:

Touch. E.g. nurse.

Time. E.g. therapist.

Words. E.g. programmer.

Gifts. E.g. artist.

Service. E.g. firefighter.

The best purpose and greatest meaning will be found in a mission which engages more than one of the aspects. Note how “nurse” lines up against at least four, perhaps all five, of these.

Becoming a parent, ideally, involves all five of these more deeply than any other calling. This is especially evident with the newborn. In its helpless state, it depends completely on all five of these aspects. And, the loving parent who operates in all five modalities simultaneously, finds their greatest meaning.

It’s simple really.

What do you want?