"It is not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts."
— Adlai Stevenson
The point Stevenson illustrates in this quote is a reminder of how it's easy to lose sight of living a meaningful life.
It's an interesting phenomenon, with the amount of time, energy, and money we invest in living healthier, longer, and happier lives. Yet, we can often still feel unsatisfied and that our lives are devoid of meaning.
When it comes to living a meaningful life, there's no one size fits all solution. What makes life meaningful is unique to each and every person. So to find meaning, you may need to do some exploration to discover what speaks to you.
Meaning can come from many different avenues. Unlike happiness, which stems from receiving or doing things for yourself, meaning comes from giving or doing for others.
Perhaps for you, it comes from fostering a close family relationship. For some, it's about choosing a fulfilling career path that involves helping others through teaching, nursing, counseling, or coaching. Others find meaning by giving back to their community by joining service-oriented groups such as the Kiwanis, or volunteering as a Big Brother or Big Sister. Purpose can also come from forming an organization for a national cause you're passionate about, or perhaps taking up a hobby you enjoy, such as gardening, then donating your excess produce to a soup kitchen.
But before you begin your journey to explore new avenues for meaning, evaluate what you're doing with your life right now. Maybe you're already giving in a way you don't even realize and aren't giving yourself enough credit. If so, you may just need to reframe in your mind what you're already doing and understand what you do really does matter. If it still isn't enough to satisfy your quest for a meaningful life, explore other options that are important to you.
After you've determined what would bring meaning to your life is often where the challenge lies. You must now make a conscious decision and concerted effort to follow through. If you've chosen a challenging path, only you can decide if the sacrifice and risk are worth the reward of a meaningful life.
Often, we can inwardly blow those sacrifices and risks way out of proportion. Our most significant risk may merely be an unrealistic fear of failure. The greatest sacrifice might be little more than stepping outside your comfort zone or setting aside a little short-term happiness in exchange for something more fulfilling, uplifting, and meaningful.
If these are the things holding you back, work toward changing your frame of mind. Schedule 20 minutes a day to sit in solitude with your eyes closed envisioning your meaningful life. Allow yourself to build excitement and desire for that which would bring meaning to you and others.
Also, spend some time each day reading up on or listening to audiobooks and watching online videos relevant to the activity that would bring meaning.
If you find you're still holding yourself back, talk to supportive family members and friends, and ask them to hold you to it. A counselor or coach can also lend support to help you move toward your goals.
Whatever path you choose, and regardless of its outcome, give yourself credit for your efforts. Remember, having a meaningful life is often as much about how you perceive what you do as it is about what you do.
Kimberly Blaker is a freelance writer and regular contributor to SW Lake. She also owns an online bookshop, Sage Rare & Collectible Books, specializing in out-of-print, scarce, signed, and first editions; fine bindings; ephemera and more at SageRareBooks.com.
Leo Burnett
Farmer & Ad Industry Legend
“When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”
Lake Zurich resident Leo Burnett, founder of the influential advertising agency that bore his name, lived at his farm in what is now known as White Birch Lakes at Old McHenry and Fairfield roads. Burnett twice expanded his property and built two lakes that exist to this day – Lake Naomi (named for his wife) and Lake Leo.
The farm provided not just quiet and solace for the legendary ad man, but was a place for fun, an important part of Burnett’s life. “Creative ideas flourish best in a shop which preserves some spirit of fun,” he once said. He hosted retreats for his top execs where some of their most notable creative ideas were born, including Tony the Tiger, the Green Giant, the Pillsbury Doughboy and the Keebler Elves.
In 1971 after a day at his Chicago office, Burnett returned to the farm for a quiet dinner. He passed away in his sleep that night.
The greatest sacrifice may be little more than stepping outside your comfort zone or setting aside a little happiness in exchange for something more fulfilling, uplifting, and meaningful.