Note: I intentionally use contentious issues in this post to dial up your emotional state so you can feel the pull yourself that people get to change others' beliefs. I made sure to include both sides of issues so as to not inject my own views or influence anyone's beliefs but also to ensure that I triggered the emotional response of seeing a pers...
Read More"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...
Read MoreIn my 30 years of studying psychology, philosophy, religion, and how the world works, one thing always bothered me: every system that exists to give you a comprehensive view of how life works or how you should live always lays it all out as one complete package without explaining how the concepts relate to each other. For example, if you believe t...
Read MorePeople often say that they wish that they could see what the future held for them. If only they knew whether that relationship would work, they would get the job they applied for, or they really wanted to pursue that hobby. After all, they could avoid a lot of pain, disappointment, and seemingly wasted time if they did the right thing every time...
Read MoreIt's a bizarre seeming paradox in human behavior: as social animals, we want to fit in and be part of the group for safety and support but also want to achieve social status and stand out from the crowd in areas where you excel. How are those two ideas true at the same time, and how do you balance those desires in your life?
Read MoreThe 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?"...
Read MoreAs 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...
Read MoreWhile 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...
Read MoreAfter researching philosophy, psychology, behavioral economics, religion, and related fields for over 20 years, I began to notice patterns in the recommendations. The universal concepts that determined meaning became The Meaning of Life: A guide to finding your life's purpose, but there were also common assumptions made that anyone delving into se...
Read MoreInstilling 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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