TAKING STOCK

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” –Rumi 

Photo by Green Cameleon on Unsplash

IS THE LIFE WE LIVE WORTHWHILE?

We want our lives to produce sufficient value and results for the time and effort we commit to living, day after day, year after year. Our days are blurs of activities, but are those activities significant?

“It is quite possible to grope [our] way through life always looking only a few days or weeks ahead, earning enough money to get by, spending it on clothes or car payments or drugs, scrambling for companionship, or keeping up with obligations and demands, the children’s needs, the repairs and maintenance..., meeting deadlines, paying the endless bills, doing the endless chores and so forth,” writes Roy Baumeister, a noted expert on meaning. 

When we die, what will our lives have been about? 

We may wonder what our purpose is and how to use it to direct our lives. Are we confident that our efforts will yield meaningful results, or are we fearful that they will be for naught? When we die, what will our lives have been about? 

Answers to these questions give us the clarity, focus, and direction we need to gain confidence and control. They help us choose activities that shape our day-to-day lives and enable us to achieve longer-range goals.

CREATE MEANING AND LIFE SATISFACTION

We may also struggle to understand meaning and its application to life. On our own, not many of us know how to identify our life purpose, clarify the sources of our personal meaning, and take action aligned with those discoveries.

This is important to do. Research shows that when we have greater meaning in our lives, we have more life satisfaction and overall well-being. We are also more resilient and engaged. Meaning is a strong predictor of long-term flourishing. 

“Meaning enables people to make decisions based on considering options, consulting values, and referring to long-range plans and hierarchies of goals,” writes Baumeister. He goes on to say, “Deprived of meaning, [people] may become unhappy, agitated, even sick, but they will not necessarily die. The key point is that the lack of meaning will motivate them to try to find some.” 

WE'D LOVE TO HELP

A priority of the High Health Network is to help its members find the meaning and life direction they need to feel confident, satisfied, and in control. Seeking help from experts, we’ve gathered the fundamental processes for creating personal meaning. We’ve used them to develop practical methods that anyone can follow to determine meaning and life direction. They include: how to identify our purpose and articulate the key goals required to achieve it; how to choose activities that align with our values for what is good and right; and how training and experience build the capability and confidence we need to sustain our efforts. 

As we take stock as the year ends, we will likely find that we could use more meaning in our lives. Our goal is for as many people as possible to have access to practical methods for building meaning, life direction, and the other essential skills required for high health. Join the Network Community and find out more. Summon your courage and let us be your guide. 

Joyce M. Young, MD, MPH
Managing Director, Advanced Wellness Systems

Photo by Subtle Cinematics on Unsplash

“There is nothing in the world, I venture to say, that would so effectively help one to survive even the worst conditions, as the knowledge that there is a meaning in one’s life.” –Viktor Frankl

Best wishes for an enjoyable holiday season.

Sincerely,
Your colleagues at Advanced Wellness Systems