There are many theories about the meaning of life, but the best answer is to find your own meaning. If you don’t have anything motivating you besides the drive to stay alive, it’s going to be hard to get out of bed.
These are five things you can do to discover your life’s motivation.
1. Consider Your Passions
Motivation is based on what matters to you. Your calling is something that interests you, and that challenges you. It doesn’t have to be something you do professionally, but that can definitely help.
Perhaps you really love baking, or you have a real talent for writing poetry. You might also have a hidden gift that you haven’t realized because you haven’t tried it yet. You don’t need to be perfect or even particularly good at it, especially not when you’re starting out. You just need to care about it.
2. Imagine an Unbounded Life
Your speech might be full of phrases like “If only” or “I would.” While you might feel other circumstances are causing these restrictions, many of them are self-imposed. But what if you weren’t stopping yourself like this?
Source: ShutterstockTake a moment to imagine what your life would be like if you could do everything you’ve dreamed of. At least a few of these fantasies are feasible. All they require is you taking the first step. Put yourself out there and you’ll see that everything you were scared of was just an illusion.
3. Talk to a Life Coach
Perspectives besides your own are invaluable in this process. It’s why professional athletes still have coaches, even if they’re at the top of their game. We need people who can assess us without the biases of our own minds.
A life coach helps you sort out your life and figure out what needs to be done to meet your goals. These shouldn’t be pie-in-the-sky ideals of becoming a millionaire overnight. You need to show what you’re dealing with now and talk about the roadblocks to your goals. Your life coach can help you by redirecting your thoughts, as unproductive thought loops could be causing you to believe things about yourself that just aren’t true.
4. Think of How You Can Help Others
Doing things only for your own fulfillment is very selfish and doesn’t lead to any happiness. You shouldn’t do things purely to gain the approval of others, but you should be thinking about how you can have good effects on the world. Your efforts matter, no matter how small they might seem.
Source: ShutterstockYou might start a website or app that would help people. You might start a charity that support underserved population. There are links between altruism and happiness. You have many ways to help others, and it can make us feel that our time on Earth really matters.
5. Make Every Day Count
You don’t need to change the world or even your own life daily. What you do need to do is put forth an honest effort every day. This means doing the right thing, challenging your pre-existing thoughts, and believing in yourself.
Doing this means eliminating things that aren’t adding to your inner growth. You may feel unsatisfied because you’ve fallen into the trap of practices that reinforce negativity, such as comparing yourself to people on social media. Making yourself happy means trying. That can seem a lot more daunting than just dealing with a life of mediocrity and low expectations. It’s up to you to find out whether you care enough to make your life one that matters to you.
The mysteries of life and the universe will always be here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t investigate a little. Looking for these answers doesn’t guarantee we’ll find them, but it does mean you’ll get closer. Even more, you’ll be challenging yourself and understanding what does and doesn’t work for you.
