How Death Affects Meaning

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, March 11 2020

Many people will ponder death and immediately wonder why we're born at all if we just are going to die. The truth is, that's a tempting but incorrect way to look at life: we are born to live, not to die. I get it—the idea that we're just going to die and it's all pointless seems profound when you first think it.  It seems like you've just seen that...

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Figuring Out What You Want Is a Simple Algebraic Equation

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, March 4 2020

People who are in a period of indecision or listlessness ponder what they can do to get back the motivation they need to live a more productive, fruitful life and feel more happiness and purpose. Fortunately, the means through which you can make that switch are pretty simple (not easy, but simple).

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Why You Experience Mixed Emotions

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, February 26 2020

Many people wonder how they can feel mixed emotions such as happiness and sadness at the same time and what that means for them. In this post, we'll talk about whether it's possible to feel many emotions at once, how your emotions work, what they're telling you, and how you can respond based on their feedback.

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Why There's No Grand Meaning Revealed at the End of Life

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, February 19 2020

A lot of people wonder why purpose doesn't culminate or present a "grand reveal" at the end of life. Why, they might ask, does the end of life seem anti-climactic and devoid of meaning? Well, the answer is—other than the fact that life doesn't work like a movie—pretty straightforward. The meaning of life is to grow, and so when your life is ending,...

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The Unified Theory of Meaning

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, February 12 2020

"What if everyone is right?" As a gullible person with ASD, I often listened to whatever I was told as a child. I've never done drugs or smoked. I followed all the rules. I got good grades. I adopted the beliefs and advice of adults around me. As a result, arguments over politics, religion, philosophy, and human behavior fascinated me because I cou...

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The Core Tenets of Meaning

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, February 5 2020

Welcome to The Meaning of Life. If you're here, you are probably wondering what the meaning of life is and how I came to understand it. Well, after over 20 years of studying psychology and human behavior, I asked myself whether I could summarize it all into a few principles that, if followed, could lead anyone to have a sense of purpose in their li...

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Why "Make Your Bed" Is Such a Powerful Message for People

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, January 29 2020

With their pithy-yet-powerful points, Admiral William H. McRaven's advice to "make your bed" and Dr. Jordan B. Peterson's recommendation to "clean your room" are resonating with millions of people. Why is that? Well, this return to simple, clear goals that an individual can accomplish to instill a sense of purpose is filling a major hole in the hea...

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Creating Your “Life Architecture” Roadmap

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, January 23 2020

For years, I advised heads of Enterprise Architecture functions on how to create effective roadmaps. If you don’t know what EA it, it is basically a way to understand and document how the organization operates so that you can map out how it can or should operate optimally. Then, your goal is to slowly move toward the best way of operating, which re...

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Q&A with Nathanael Garrett Novosel, Author of The Meaning of Life

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, January 15 2020

The Meaning of Life looks like a great guide to finding purpose in life. Who is your target market for the book? Honestly, the audience is anyone as curious as I was about how life works. It’s particularly useful for anyone who is lost, confused, looking for something more, or lacking direction in life, but anyone who is genuinely interested in wha...

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Your New Year’s Resolution: Find Meaning

Nathanael Garrett Novosel, January 8 2020

It’s that time of year again: time to think about your New Year’s resolutions. Lose weight. Change jobs. Find your soulmate. Whatever your resolution is, you have it for one reason: you think that you will be happier having attained that goal. So why do most people give up on those resolutions by February or March at the latest? Other commitments,...

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