If someone were to ask me what their life mantra should be, I would suggest, “New, Better, More”. Why? Because that’s what keeps life interesting, engaging, and meaningful. Let’s discuss. This blog and the book, The Meaning of Life, talk a lot about growth. Growth is ultimately the point of life, as all living organisms strive to grow and it ma...
Read MoreWhen talking about the meaning of life, you always have to start by defining your terms. Why? Because people almost always equivocate when you don’t. You can look up the definition of life in the dictionary, for example, and no one will claim that that’s what they meant. In addition to the literal definition of life, other meanings of “the mean...
Read MoreAs discussed in The Meaning of Life: A guide to finding your life’s purpose, growth underlies humans’ sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. Whether it’s helping others grow, growing themselves, or developing relationships through fun and excitement, growth is key to meaning.
Read More"Money is the root of all evil." Yes, it's a cliché because people will do horrible things over money: lie, cheat, steal, fight, and even kill. It's also the source of much jealousy in this world: some people have it; some people don't; some people resent that others have more than they do (regardless of how much they have). But most anger, jeal...
Read More“Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.” You might have heard this saying, which summarizes well the downsides of boredom. Boredom is an emotional response to the lack of novelty, challenge, or engagement coming from a person’s surroundings, and it is a very important mechanism for keeping people and animals engaged in play and other activities tha...
Read More“I was supposed to have a spouse and kids by now.” “One of my classmates from high school is now a CEO.” “I’m so far behind in my retirement savings.” People naturally compare their life progress to others, and they start to wonder what they need to do to “catch up” to others when they fall behind.
Read MoreMistakes People Make in Their Search for Meaning When people are looking for their meaning in life, they will have trouble finding it if they make erroneous assumptions about how life works or what they’re supposed to do with the one that they’ve been given. Unfortunately, such fundamental assumptions are held sometimes without people having thoug...
Read MoreMoney. Nothing in this world seems to be both sought after and demonized at the same time. Can money buy happiness, or is it the root of all evil? Is it more important to earn money or be happy or feel fulfilled by your career? How you answer the question will go a long way in what your life path looks like.
Read MoreDedicated to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1934-2021) Photo courtesy of Ehirsh and Wikimedia (Public Domain). When I first heard of the idea of positive psychology, i.e., the study of living a healthy, happy life, the first names that came up were Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Considered to be the pioneers and leaders in the field, these...
Read MoreIt is, generally speaking, a great time to be alive. There is less hunger and poverty around the world than in any other time in human history. Yes, it will continue to get better thanks to people who care enough to dedicate their time and effort to helping people and solving real-world problems. But there is also a rise in “manufactured problem...
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