When we spend our lives merely surviving, life can start to seem a little empty and pointless. Nevertheless, this is exactly how many of us live: we work for eight hours or more a day and then we come home feeling too tired and exhausted to do much of anything with our time. So, we sit and watch TV.
The same thing repeats and repeats and the most excitement we have is a holiday once a year to look forward to. Is that really living?
Here are four simple suggested changes that can make your life more meaningful:
Learning
Constantly learning is a great way to give life more meaning and direction. Ultimately, one of the things that the brain craves most is growth. If it isn’t challenged to learn and grow, then it will shrink, and we will become set in our ways.
Make it your job to constantly be learning new skills and pursuits. That can be related to your career, a hobby, or even a new language!
Relationships
Likewise, relationships are one of the things that we need to be happy. If you don’t have meaningful relationships, then you’ll have no one to share your experiences, your challenges, and your triumphs with.
A truly ‘meaningful’ relationship goes beyond friends of friends that you only ever meet in a group. This is someone you can have a deep heart-to-heart with and who has a long and storied history with you.
Concerning the statement of having a long history, some of these relationships are cultivated through common ground and not necessarily by people who have been in your life for a long time. Relationships go beyond a timeline. When we build relationships as adults, we must be more intentional with how and why we are building these relationships. When you find your person/persons or your tribe, ensure your people are not just cheerleaders, but mentors and the iron that will sharpen you, and charge you to do more.
Challenge
What’s also necessary for life to feel meaningful is challenge and to some extent, risk.
Have you ever been in a situation that felt like a life-altering test? Or perhaps that put you in a situation where you were close to accomplishing something truly amazing?
These are the moments when the brain focuses and engages with the world. These are the moments when we learn and realize the worth of what we have. It puts things in perspective and creates stories. Don’t shy away from the things that test you!
Travel
Finally, everyone should seek to have some travel in their lives. This doesn’t mean you have to backpack across the desert – but simply being able to experience new sights and people is important to keep your mind open and your experiences varied. If you don’t have the budget to go away, come up with an adventure you can enjoy a little closer to home.
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