Meaning

Meaning

The Growth-Centric View of Meaning in Popular Ideas

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, October 21 2020

I just described where the growth-centric view of meaning is popping up in the corporate world, and so my brain must've been primed to see some of these examples in other areas.  There are several pop psychology and business ideas that have been widely used and accepted in speeches and articles that have growth at the heart of them.  Let's take a l...

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Meaning

What Do You Do If You Have No Purpose?

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, September 23 2020

"I [feel like I] don't have a purpose."  It's a common statement from people who don't have the direction that they wish they had in life.  It's definitely difficult to turn it around when you are overwhelmed by a sense of aimlessness, but it is possible. First, it's important to note that you always have a purpose; it's just not clear.  I've advis...

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Meaning

5 Pieces of Evidence Suggesting a Growth-Centric View of Meaning

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, August 26 2020

The growth-centric view of meaning is a relatively new model that has come after years of focusing on ethics, utility, or happiness in philosophy, economics, and psychology (respectively). There have been hints of this view for centuries in science and business, but it had not been seriously considered because of the natural "Why? To what end?"...

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Meaning

Understanding What Drives Your Sense of Fulfillment in Life

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, August 19 2020

As you may know, there is both an online version and a printable version (both free) of the Meaning Assessment that is found in The Meaning of Life: A guide to finding your life's purpose.  The assessments are meant to give you a pre-book baseline so that you can take it again afterwards and check for post-book improvement in your grasp of the eigh...

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Meaning

Defining Meaning

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, August 12 2020

While it might not seem like the most interesting topic to define terms, but anyone looking for the meaning of life or more meaning in life needs to define what that means to them.  As simple as it might seem, there are many things that you might mean with that question.  As a result, you might get advice that you don't find useful because you are...

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Meaning

Creating More Meaning in Your Life in 8 Simple Steps

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, July 29 2020

Instilling your life with a greater sense of meaning and purpose—it sounds like a monumental feat.  Most people think that they have to identify a "moonshot" goal like curing cancer to give their lives significance.  Usually, this process involves some personal or societal judgment as to what is meaningful to pursue.  However, meaning is subjective...

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Meaning

Ikigai: A Japanese Philosophy of the Meaning of Life

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, July 8 2020

Ikigai is a term that roughly translates into "the meaning of life" due to its belief that it originates from words meaning “to live” and “the realization of what one hopes for”.  While this is a word that has many possible interpretation, in this post we're going to break down the two popular ways that people understand/define this concept and wha...

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Meaning

"Who Am I, and Why Am I Here?"

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, July 1 2020

In The Meaning of Life: A guide to finding your life's purpose, I explain in detail how life works and how you can use that information to figure your purpose out for yourself.  However, it doesn't mention another major question, "Who am I?"  Because I wanted to keep the book focused on helping you figure out your journey, I didn't spend any time c...

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Meaning

8 Reasons Life Can Seem Insignificant and Meaningless

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, May 20 2020

You may experience down periods in your life where you wonder what it all means.  A tragic loss, a major failure, or a brutal setback can deflate your enthusiasm and hope for your future and success.  Alternatively, you could just enter a lull period where you lose your zest for life and motivation.  Let that deflation consume you, however, and you...

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Meaning

The Existence of Intrinsic Meaning in the Universe

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, May 6 2020

Many people ask about the intrinsic meaning of life and the universe.  Here, we're assuming that they mean inherent purpose or significance.  This is a difficult question since if they mean it literally (i.e., literally in the universe), then the answer is no.  If they mean ingrained in all living organisms (i.e., in all life), then the answer is y...

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