QUOTES

Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony. (Gandhi)

First say to yourself what you would be, then do what you have to do. (Epictetus)

The aim of life is self-development. To realise one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for. (Oscar Wilde)

There is no wealth but life. (John Ruskin)

If you don't know where you are going you will probably end up somewhere else.

LOOKING FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE

Seeking some sort of meaning to our lives is an essential part of being human. Usually we believe we should focus on the outside world to find it. In reality it's hidden inside each of us, frequently buried under layers of negative thoughts and emotions as we plod through our day to day business. Tapping into the core of yourself lets you find what's important to you (and it won't necessarily be what seems important to everyone else). Deep down we probably know this, but we're restricted by fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of making fools of ourselves, fear of disappointing our nearest and dearest, and so on.

Many people think they'll be happy and content when they've bought their dream house or car, or lost weight, or found a partner, or had a promotion. We set ourselves goals to achieve these things, but, if we do finally manage it, we're disappointed to find we still feel unfulfilled. Too many people seem to be chasing impossible dreams. Happiness is transient and cannot be maintained by material things, otherwise wouldn't all millionaires be happy? It's to do with feeling good about ourselves and what we do with our time.

Part of the problem is that we pick up underlying negative beliefs about ourselves, such as: 'I'm lazy', 'I'm different', 'I'm worthless', 'I 'm shy', and so on. As we grow up these are instilled in us by our environment and our interaction with parents, siblings, teachers or friends. Even the most loving well-meaning relationships can create negative beliefs in us. Since we each have about 60,000 thoughts a day, most of which are subconscious, we're thinking these negative thoughts over and over again. If you think 'I'm a failure' several hundred times a day, then of course you will tend to fail! Think about how your brain works. If you repeatedly do something, such as driving a car, you stop consciously thinking how you do it. Change that car, from a manual to an automatic, for example and it takes a while for your brain to adapt. Your hand keeps looking for the gear lever and your left foot looks for the clutch, but after a while it also becomes familiar and you stop having to think about it.

In the same way, if you identify your negative beliefs and consciously work to change them to positive beliefs, they soon become subconscious thoughts. Once they're going through your mind over and over again, your behaviour is affected and other people begin to reflect the new you. Gradually you overcome your previous fears because you've learned to see yourself clearly and you know and like the person you are. In other words: you start to find the true you.

By finding the essence of who we are and what feels right for us, we can change our lives accordingly. Once we've discovered these things we can find out what we need to give our lives meaning. Sometimes this requires moving out of our comfort zone and sometimes it takes some hard work and commitment, but once you are on the right track all things become possible. Soon your new way of life is your new comfort zone.

The secret to making life more meaningful is to find your inner core, your true feelings and beliefs. Only then can you look to the outside world and identify the parts of it that suit your talents and personality. The places where you will fit in and be fulfilled. It isn't always easy, but ultimately it's very satisfying and it will certainly give meaning to your life!