Tag: Meaning

Finding Meaning Through Spirituality

Happiness, Success

What we often lack is meaning and purpose in life. With so many choices that we can make and so many interests and the interests of others pulling us in different directions we can make bad choices with big consequences. The benefit of spirituality is that it gives us structure, boundaries and of course both purpose and meaning, without formalised rules to follow. Without a guide that comes from a spiritual tradition we look for structure, purpose and meaning wherever we can find it.

This is why people join groups, whether it be a gang, supporting a football team or a religion. In any group that we join in order to feel like we belong, the rules and ethics are subscribed, they are the things we adopt in order to be accepted into the group. By and large there is no problem with this, as this is the way social beings live. We accept the laws in the country we live in because we want to live there. Others will accept the teachings of a religion in order to worship in a particular religious building. I advocate for joining a church or mosque, synagogue or temple because the usual end result is that good morals and ethics become central to life. 

However, formalised religion is not for everyone. Some wish to choose the rules and practices that they live by, which is a good way to live, as long as you have the ability to decipher what is wisdom and what is propaganda. There are many self proclaimed teachers of truth out there in the wonderful world of the internet.

Anyone can start a YouTube channel and start sharing their thoughts. Some reach a level of popularity and fame that suggests that they may know what they are talking about, people like Russel Brand and Jordan Peterson, who incidentally divide opinion due to their strong views. The rule of thumb when it comes to taking on the teachings of others is to ask yourself if following their advice is making you happier and more fulfilled. If it works then keep listening. if it doesn’t move on.

Your Attitude Matters

Achieving Goals, Happiness, Health, Success

Recently I have been struggling with inner ear problems, which causes Vertigo and Tinnitus in both ears. Not a fun combination to add to my Fibromyalgia, but the tougher the challenge the bigger the opportunity for growth. In the mornings I am trying to develop a routine that starts my day off with stretches and exercises, meditation and Chi Kung (Qigong), but I have struggled to be motivated, as many of my health problems seem to be a constant. It causes me to think “what’s the point?” Though there is also a positive voice in my head encouraging me onwards.

I was reminded when reading the book Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty that the act of completing a morning routine consistently is not just about the health benefits, of which there are many, it is also about your mind realising that you did what you said you were going to do, no matter how hard it is. I was also reminded of a quote from Viktor E. Frankl’s book Man’s Search For Meaning which has kept me positive when I’ve felt like staying in bed and not bothering with my day. I hope it helps you too. This is the quote.

"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way."

Choose your attitude and you choose your way in the world.

Give Your Life Purpose

Happiness, Success, The Pathway To Fulfilment

I’ve been thinking a lot about Purpose recently and I’m sure I’ve discussed it on this blog before. I may have already covered the points mentioned here, but, as it is with human beings, we forget profound truths because we return to our default behaviours and mental patterns and the wisdom does not stick.

What occurred to me this morning is that life does not give you purpose, you have to figure out what your purpose for living is and apply it to your life. Last night I was feeling a little lost, so I picked up my copy of Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, an astounding book that I recommend you read. I dipped into it and found this quote from the section ‘The Meaning Of Life’ that really struck me, “Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked.”

Then the obvious truth became clear, that there can never be one meaning of life, because we are all different people. What you find meaning in cannot be the same as what I find meaning in, though there will be some overlap. The thing to do is to figure out what gives your life meaning and to live that and do that, whatever it may be.

The Meaning Matters

Happiness, Success, The Pathway To Fulfilment

What meaning do you put on the experiences you have? I heard a story recently of two American brothers who were wrongfully imprisoned for 25 years. When they were released they went to get their driving licences back at the American DMV they waited in line for over two hours, but to them it was a wonderful experience. The meaning they placed on the situation was that they were free. The next person in the line might have felt trapped.

A lot of the meaning we put onto the experiences we have come from our upbringing and our beliefs, but, to a degree, we can choose what situations mean to us. For example we can be grateful for a challenging situation because we learn what we are capable of or we can feel like a victim, which removes our ability to take ownership of what we then do moving forward. Choose the meaning carefully, as it can uplift you or bring you down.

Monday Blues

Happiness, Success

We often feel a sense of dread on Sundays, fearing what Monday might bring and we wish the week away, so we can enjoy the weekend, when it arrives. This push and pull that we self impose can cause us a lot of unnecessary stress. Our attitude to the working week largely comes from whether we are fulfilled by our job or not, but we are influenced by the cultural mindset that Mondays are bad and Friday evening and the weekend are good. We often think Thank God It’s Friday.

This way of looking at our working week is self defeating and can easily be avoided. As Viktor E. Frankl said in his book Man’s Search for Meaning, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” We have control over our attitude and the things we tell ourselves about the work we do and how we spend our time. We can look on the bright side, as they say.

I suggest picking something positive about the work you do. Something related to helping people is good, because it brings a sense of fulfilment and purpose. It also helps to have compassion for the people we work with and work for. We all suffer to less and greater degrees and to reduce someone else’s suffering is a wonderful thing to do. This may be something you focus on as part of a spiritual path or a humane philosophy, either way it will make you happier to make other happier. Everyone wins, and you will begin to look forward to Mondays, because it will provide more opportunities to help others.

Meaning Matters

Happiness, Success

Thinking small is a product of how we talk to ourselves, which is often negative. Those who are successful in life have a very positive self-talk, they say all good things to themselves, which boosts their confidence and their thinking on what they are capable of.

So, when you feel that there is something you are not capable of, pay close attention to the thoughts you are having and the reasons you are giving for not being able to do whatever it is. Then, play around with thinking about whether the opposite is true, and if it is then change your thinking accordingly.

Our negative self-talk is almost always wrong and some form of the opposite is usually true. What let’s us get trapped in negative thinking about ourselves is often either bad experiences we have had in the past or how those we care about have treated us in the past.


The thing about these past experiences is that they do not tell you who you are. How you choose to view these experiences is who you are. Often we let the past control how we feel and act in the present, but this removes our ability to choose our present and future, because we let the meaning we have put on these experiences control our decision making.

If we change the meaning we change the script we tell ourselves and we change how we act in the present. The key is the meaning we put onto what we have done and what we do now. Meaning matters.

Book Recommendation: Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E Frankl

Book Recommendation, Happiness

Image Source: amazon.co.uk

Buy the book here

Why Read This Book


This book is an insider’s view of the Nazi concentration camps from a Psychiatrist who lived in them as a Jewish prisoner. A view that came to see meaning even in the greatest of suffering. It is a book that reflects the idea that we can choose our attitude in any given circumstances. It is an empowering read that includes Viktor E Frankl’s Logotherapy, which is a structured way to find meaning in one’s life. For someone who wants to reach their full potential this is a must read.

Contents

  • Preface by Gordon W. Allport
  • Preface to the 1992 Edition
  • PART ONE
  • Experiences in a Concentration Camp
  • PART TWO
  • Logotherapy in a Nutshell
  • POSTSCRIPT 1984
  • The Case for a Tragic Optimism
  • About the Author

Summary

As is evident from the contents list this book if primarily about two things, the experiences that Viktor Frankl had while he was a prisoner of Nazi concentration camps, which included harrowing accounts as well as moments of joy. Also, how these experiences and what he witnessed brought him to the realisation that the underlying drive of human beings is to find meaning in life, and that meaning can change depending on the momentary circumstances we find ourselves in and that this meaning can only be realised by the individual themselves. This then lead him to use his training as a Psychiatrist to develop his Logotherapy, which is explained in clear detail in the second part of the book. This book is difficult to read at times, but the challenges of reading Part One bring context and depth to the Logotherapy explanation in Part Two, so I would recommend reading the whole book if you can.