Denisa Cerna
Welcome.
This is a place where lost souls come, looking to find their meaning in life. My apologies, it’s a bit messy. We’re too busy searching for our ultimate purpose.
Look, I know everything feels kind of up in the air right now. But given that you’ve come here, I think it’s safe to assume you want to change things up.
And where there’s a will, there’s a way.
So, if you’re struggling to find meaning in life, remember these 9 things.
1) You don’t always have to have it all figured out
First things first – it’s absolutely okay to get lost.
In fact, it happens all the time; the path gets foggy, the rain has drenched you to the bone, and to top it all off, you’ve arrived at a crossroads with no signposts.
Not every day is a walk in the park.
But a crossroads isn’t a limit. You don’t have to choose one path and stick to it.
A crossroads is a fork of possibilities. You can go on a jog in one direction and then come back, jump onto three different paths in quick succession, or stick to one and see where it takes you.
Try new things. Dare to dream. Life is about trial and error. You can only find your meaning in life if you give life the chance to open up to you in all its splendid colors.
2) We’re all in this together
If there’s one thing I can tell you for sure, it’s that you’re not alone.
Feel like an impostor? We all do. I mean, we’ve all been thrown on a rock floating in enveloping darkness and none of us have a single clue why.
That CEO of a multimillion company? Most days, he’s just figuring things out.
That teacher who always exudes an aura of confidence? She cried herself to sleep last night due to her crippling self-doubts.
We’re all kids at a vast playground, trying not to fall as we venture on one terrifying slide after another.
As the High School Musical song goes, “We’re all in this together.”
You’re not weird. You’re not behind. You don’t need to catch up with anyone. We’re in this with you.
3) Do what sets your soul afire and you’ll be the happiest person alive
There’s this quote by Howard Lyman (Cowspiracy, 2014) that’s hanging up on my wall, reminding me of the true meaning of life.
Want to hear it?
Here goes: “Do what you can do as well as you can do it every day of your life and you will end up dying one of the happiest individuals that ever died.”
Meaning is a side-effect of an activity that engulfs you whole. For me, that’s writing. When I write, I get into the so-called “flow state” – time passes by in a quick snap, and I get so submerged in what I’m doing that I essentially cease to exist.
I am my words forming on the screen, making an impact.
When I’m done, I often feel euphoric and rejuvenated, as if I haven’t just spent four hours staring at a screen. My soul is full. I am, in all senses of the word, happy.
What makes you feel this way? And if you can’t think of anything, what do you think has the potential to swallow you whole? Give it a try. See how you feel.
The meaning of life is in the activities you do on a daily basis.
4) True meaning is rooted in the everyday
And it’s not just what you do but also what you notice that matters.
Ready for another quote?
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
The key word here is “experience”. We think “experience” means high-adrenaline sports, big life events, falling in love, or going through really tough times.
We think experience has to be dramatic in order for it to count.
But the truth is the complete opposite. Experience is looking up at the sky and feeling the sun dancing on your skin. It’s hugging someone you love. It’s paying attention to your breath and becoming one with it.
The YouTuber Unjaded Jade calls it “casual magic”, while the term “glimmer” is becoming increasingly popular on TikTok – it’s the little everyday moments that can fill you with an overpowering sense of purpose and gratitude.
You don’t have to chase meaning. It’s right there in front of you, every second of every day.
5) There is only one person you need to impress
…and it’s your childhood self.
Think back to when you were very young, your head full of the wildest dreams. What did you love doing? Who did you imagine your adult self would become?
No one in this whole wide world knows you as well as you know yourself. Their approval doesn’t matter. Yours does.
In many ways, childhood is the purest form of being. It’s the stage before societal expectations and norms pile on top of your shoulders, weighing you down.
Back then, there was no money to think of. No limits to what you could do.
What did you want to be when the world seemed open and full of possibilities? Use that as your guide in the here and now. Turn to your childhood self for help. They are wiser than you realize.
6) Only when we’re lost can we find ourselves again
I found a little blackboard with this quote – “Only when we’re lost can we find ourselves again” – in a random shop when I was seventeen and feeling off-course.
It gave me hope. It made me realize that the state of losing oneself is the only time when you’re free to fully reform who you are, from the ground up.
In a way, getting lost is freedom. You don’t know where you are, so you might just as well forge your own path.
This is your opportunity to grow and become the best version of yourself.
7) It’s all part of the plot
Every time I go through a rough patch, I like to remind myself it’s all part of my success story.
I know, I know. It’s a bit ridiculous. Feel free to laugh.
But it works!
Many successful people have some difficult past that propelled them further, right? Take J.K. Rowling as an example – she was going through really hard times before the Harry Potter series skyrocketed her to fame and wealth.
If you’re struggling to find meaning in life, it means that you’re at the part of the story you’ll reminisce about when your future self is happy and successful.
It’s kind of a prerequisite to touch the bottom before you can jump to the top. Otherwise your story would be terribly boring.
Remember it’s for the plot. All you have to do is…
8) Just keep swimming
The only way to lose in life is to give up on yourself. And you’ve already proven you’re a winner.
Every day, you get up. Every day, you brush your teeth. Every day, you eat something to keep your energy levels up.
You’re already fighting for yourself in the most mundane and extraordinary ways there are.
All you have to do is keep on going. When you stumble, pick yourself back up. When you’re struggling to find your purpose in life, get out there and look for it.
If you keep on swimming, you’re bound to reach the shore.
9) It’s always darkest before the dawn
As Florence and the Machine sing in Shake It Out, “It’s always darkest before the dawn.”
Life isn’t a straight line. It moves in waves and circles. If you’re feeling completely lost now, you have an extremely high chance of finding your purpose real soon.
Nothing stays the same forever. Easy times give way to hard times, which create a stronger sense of purpose and resilience, which leads to easy times once again.
You were happy once. You were sad once. None of those states were permanent. This isn’t, either.
Good days lie ahead.
