Adding Meaning To Your Life

When I die, I want to know that my life had meaning. I don’t want to live a full life only to look back and regret what I didn’t do. My wife likes to say, “Live each day so you have no regrets tomorrow.”

In order to live a meaningful life it is important to understand that you are not an accident. You are here with a destiny. The moment you were conceived in your mothers’ womb, God assigned purpose to your life.

All of your talents and abilities, your dreams and your aspirations, your strengths and weaknesses, your likes and dislikes are all keys to understanding your purpose in life. By developing and understanding each of these puts you on the path to living a meaningful life.

Meaning is found in fulfilling your life purpose. It is found in having a God-given dream and doing your part to see it become a reality.

Here are some ways to add meaning to your life:

Determine to make a positive difference in peoples lives.

Significance is found in you ability to make a positive difference in others lives. One key to making a difference is “Find a need and meet it.” There is no feeling so great as the one that follows helping others succeed.

Be a person of vision.

Vision adds meaning and gives direction to life. “Without a vision people perish.” Vision sees by faith what can be instead of what presently is. People with strong visions approach life with purpose and a sense of destiny.

Determine where you want to go in life.

As Denis Waitly says, “If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to know when you get there?” Destiny adds meaning to life. Highly successful people understand the value of goal setting. A goal is a dream with a deadline. Without goals you will never be able to live a meaningful life. Goals give you a target to aim at.

Be a person of planning.

Nothing of significance is done without planning. My mother always told me, “Plan your work and work your plan.” All highly successful coaches understand the value of a solid well thought out game plan. Like someone has so aptly said, “To fail to plan is to plan to fail.” Know where you are going and what you are going to do to get there.

Develop bounce-back-ability.

Everyone faces setbacks in life. In order to live a meaningful life one must learn to be resilient. One must refuse to let their setbacks cause them to stop what they are pursuing. Rather they should choose to use their setbacks as stepping-stones to their comeback.

Take personal control of your life.

Be responsible for your life. If you don’t take charge of your life, someone else will. Dream for yourself. Set goals for yourself. Develop your own expectations. Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in trying to be who everyone wants you to be. God has made you to have dominion or control of your life. (Genesis 1:23)

Develop communication skills.

Understand the value and power of words. What you say can make or break you. Remember, “Loose lips sink big ships.” Also learn to listen to others. Seek to understand them.

Learn to relax.

Lighten up. It is a proven fact; people that learn to live a relaxed life are more successful, fulfilled and happy. You cannot enjoy life if you are uptight all the time.

Develop a sense of humor.

Refuse to be overly serious about everything. Look on the light side. See the humor in life. Learn to laugh. “A merry heart does good like a medicine.”

Be a person of decision.

Life is about choices. You are the sum-total if the decisions you have made. All highly successful people not only know how to make the right decisions they also have disciplined themselves to live with the decisions they make. They don’t constantly second-guess themselves. Be decisive. Once you’ve made a decision don’t allow others to pressure you into changing your mind.

Do what you love money will follow.

Your reward should be found in what you are doing, not in what it pays. Money can be a harsh taskmaster. So many I come in contact with are more concerned about how much money they can make rather than living their God-given dream and pursuing their destiny. By determining to be the person God made you to be and doing the things God created you to do money will follow. It is a law that is inescapable. I have learned that my provision is at the place of my life assignment.

Be grateful.

An attitude of gratitude is essential to a meaningful life. You may not have everything you want in life, but you should be thankful for what you do have.

Have proper priorities.

One must get their life in order if they are going to live a meaningful life. Put first things first. Prioritize your activities in order of importance.

Cultivate relationships.

God made you to relate to others. It is imperative to seek to cultivate and develop good relations with others. No man is an island.

Include God in everything you do.

God is the source of all good things. God plus you are more than a match for anything. Solomon wrote, “In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your steps.”