Growing yourself with love, instead of growing your checklist to have it.

“The meaning of life is to give life meaning.” What does this exactly…mean?

As of late, with times becoming increasingly uncertain and events occurring at rapid fire speed, I’ve been noticing how some people around me have become dismissive, with varying levels, towards what’s sitting in front of them in order to rush to the next best thing. It’s as if their current focus — project, relationship, job, etc — were no longer feeding their ego, and not satisfying the need to be fulfilled by something material. But why has it become unfashionable to be present and willing to look at what is seemingly “routine” with a fresh pair of eyes? If it gives YOU the opportunity to say, “oh! I never saw this in you before!”, wouldn’t we want that kind of magic in our lives? We miss so much beauty when we treat everyday familiarities as if they were yesterday’s leftovers. Why?

A pure love interest (person, place or thing) always deserves a second look. But it seems that impatience and the feeling of not being good enough drive behaviors that result in piling more on top of what already exists. Does this happen because you feel that what is in arms reach is unattainable? Do expectations get in the way? Or is it simply fear that you can’t sustain it?

If pursuing meaning in your life is defined by measuring how much more you can get done, then I ask you to rethink what it is you’re actually running away from. Could it be that you carry limited perceptions that don’t allow you to be grateful for what you have? Or that you let your inner most deep-rooted unresolved childhood fears govern the state in which you’re able to face the very thing you’re afraid of nurturing?

Whatever it is that keeps you from being able to be happy in the present moment and instead focused on “what’s next”, I can assure you that you are no more adding meaning to your life than a dog adds to his bone collection, buried beneath the surface of the earth. Because, that’s just it, all these “add-ons” are going to result in shoved baggage buried further into the abyss that you call your trophy case when your focus is to chase versus to conquer.

You might just be surprised when you actually look to see that what you’ve always wanted was not only right in front of you, but in front of you for you to understand past the point of your own comfort. After all, the meaning of life I’m sure has something to do with growing yourself with love, realizing that because you are enough and are worthy, you don’t have to grow your checklist to have it.