Find Greater Meaning in Your Life with 6 Simple Practices
It’s a quest we’re all on… At some point or the other in our lives, we get stuck, we get lost, we get disillusioned. And we begin to wonder what the meaning of our lives is… We question our existence, its purpose, and often question life itself and its absurdities.
While we seek meaning, we try various activities — we adventure into unknown places, we climb mountains, we undertake pilgrimages, or we join a people’s movement — all consciously or subconsciously directed at finding greater purpose and fulfillment in our lives.
At such times, we also often set out on a ‘spiritual shopping spree’ as it’s called. We go from guru to guru, practice kriya after kriya, consult tarot readers or astrologers, and read as many books on self-help and mythology, in the hope that they may help us decode the deeper meaning of life.
Little do we realize that the true meaning of life cannot be found ‘out there’…but within us.
Somewhere during the process of growing up, following parental wishes and societal norms, we began to disconnect from who we are and who we really want to be. We started playing roles, and we started believing that those roles are us.
We also started getting attached to goals instead of finding true meaning — we studied to find jobs, we kept our jobs to support our lifestyles, we started collecting homes, cars, and building bank balances, thinking these things are a reflection of who we are…
What continued to remain though was a sense of emptiness.
To find meaning then, we need to connect once again to our core… Connecting to this core requires us to be harsh on ourselves at times; it requires us to ask ourselves questions we’ve been afraid to answer thus far… It requires us to peel away the layers of dust and look at life through a clean lens — at times highlighting the scary, but more often, enhancing the beautiful.
Once in touch with our inner self, meaning automatically unfolds…You begin to live in sync with your true self, and you connect more smoothly with the people around you, and with the universe as a whole…
You become like the wheels of a car, moving friction-free, and going full throttle toward your destination.
But how does one connect more deeply with oneself? Here are some simple ideas…
1. Think of death
Yes, it can be a morbid thought; but only once you get comfortable with the idea of death, will you get more comfortable with life. The sooner you know that the end of life is death, everything else falls into place. Small issues become genuinely small, and you stop worrying about them. You realize that life is too short, and you start looking at each new day as a gift.
The yogic practice of Shavasana, is one such way of coming to terms with death — by lying down on the earth, you surrender yourself to it, and begin to let go… What follows is a sense of calm and relaxation.
2. Find your peace
Seek out activities that make you genuinely happy. If you’re feeling stuck in a job that is taking you nowhere, but just paying the bills, at some point you will get frustrated. That doesn’t mean you quit without a plan, think of how you can find other sources of income, or start looking at an alternate career path.
A good way of doing this is to think of where and how you would spend your time, if you weren’t in your current place of work… Would you rather be a teacher, a writer, a trekker, a musician?
3. Keep positive company
There are people who drain your energy. Being around them makes you feel a sense of imbalance, a feeling of not being ‘the person you are’… They can bring out the worst in you. Such people are toxic and detrimental to your spiritual and emotional growth. Distance yourself from them, as they will only pull you down and make you think, talk and behave negatively…
Instead, hang out with those who genuinely make you happy and inspire you to become a better person.
4. Stay close to nature
Nature stirs something within us. It makes us more humble. We realize we’re just one small part of the larger universe. We also realize that life is actually simple, and our basic needs are taken care of by nature. The drama we have created is really our own doing. Spending time in nature allows us to appreciate the beauty around us.
And, for some time, we can lend our problems to the ocean, or the trees, or the vast sky. So take walks by the sea, go for nature trails in the forest, or simply feel the rain as it drops…you will begin to experience life anew.
5. Challenge yourself
Life loses its luster when you stay stuck in a limbo or state of inertia for too long. Every now and then, increase the challenge in your life to find new meaning. Move out of your comfort zone…maybe learn a new skill, see a new place, or discover a new dimension of life…
But for this you may have to give up your old ways, break out of patterns that you’ve been used to, and sometimes even sacrifice what is dear to you. For example, if you want to live in a new city, you must give up the comfortable feeling of being in a familiar place, and be confident enough to make new friends, and travel on new roads.
6. Celebrate often
True meaning comes from being joyous, and joy comes from celebrating what you already have, and celebrating how far you’ve come. Every life is a journey, and just making it to the next stop is momentous enough. So take time off from your daily grind, and celebrate occasionally…
Make this celebration special, do what you love doing, and include the people you care for. Also, don’t forget to remember those who are struggling, with little means to celebrate on their own, like the lesser privileged… share with them the goodness you have…and you will discover new meaning in your life.
This article was first published in the magazine Soul Space by Tavleen Foundation — whose mission is to make this world a happier and more peaceful place.
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