Give meaning to our lives

Giving meaning to life is one of the main objectives of every human being.. Those who do not find it, may feel frustrated and unmotivated.

Likewise, the meaning of life is constantly changing and depends on the present of the person. In a natural way, it is transformed around the needs and objectives that man has at that moment.

• Related article: "Self-actualization needs: what are they, according to Maslow?"

The challenge of finding meaning in life

Victor Frankl he was in charge of opening the debate on this great topic: "The meaning of life". He was a renowned neurologist and psychiatrist who created "logotherapy", which is a psychotherapy that explains that The will of each human being to find meaning in life is one of the primary motivations that he himself has. His best known book is Man's Search for Meaning, which emphasizes his trajectory, what he suffered by having to live the experience of being in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II and how, through the search for a meaning in life, he was able to overcome that ordeal, being able to survive.

The meaning of life changes from one person to another, from one moment to another. Each human being has his own sense of life with a concrete meaning that he himself gives him. It is constantly changing, it never ceases. Each one is in charge of finding, from his individuality, his own meaning of life. It is a primal force to find it, and not a simple impulse. The human being must achieve this search in order to satisfy his own will.

• You may be interested in: "Self-knowledge: definition and 8 tips to improve it"

A process of personal growth

The search for this meaning is hard work to which every human being must constantly undergo in his life. In childhood, it is not usually a rationalized purpose, but, from adolescence, approximately 15 years old, every human being begins to create a meaning for his life: whether it is from finishing school, starting a sport or, also, what university career he wants choose. When one is already an adult, the meaning of life takes a turn again when thinking and starting to make crucial decisions: studies, removals, uprooting, economy, family, etc.

On several occasions, it can happen that the person does not find meaning in his life at a particular moment, he feels unmotivated, frustrated and upset. In this way, you must reinvent yourself in order to achieve new purposes and projects for your life.

It may take time to build a sense of life again because it is not an easy task. And the longer it takes to find a new purpose, the more intense will be the feeling of existential emptiness that surrounds it.

• Related article: "80 phrases about life that will help you be happy"

Starting from uncertainty

To create a sense of life is to assume a new responsibility towards oneself. Being clear about the “why” of our decisions, we will manage to face all the “how”, “when”, “where”. Once the person feels comfortable with an objective that motivates them, they will generate changes to be able to live a much more pleasant present. Life presents the human being with constant challenges that only he himself can solve.

Many times we find ourselves asking ourselves “What did I come into the world for?” "What is the reason for my existence?" These existential questions can only be answered by oneself, trying to find the very essence of one's existence. Happiness and being well are usually the reasons for our decisions. Every time a human being takes a 360 degree turn in his life, it is because what he was living no longer completed it, it did not make him happy.

Because of this, you must decide in which direction to change your present, what you would like to achieve. And, thus, the meaning of his life changes. Likewise, changing course or making new decisions regarding projects or goals in life can generate some fear due to the uncertainty generated by the new, what is not yet known.

In older adults, there is often the sequence of wondering if they have fulfilled the purpose of their life, thinking and having the feeling that they could have done something different and, at the same time, knowing that they can no longer change it.

There are three ways in which we can approach finding the meaning of life: having a mission, a love or with the contemplation of what surrounds us day by day. Finding this meaning will allow you to give “color to life”.

We must take responsibility for our path and, by using the freedom we possess, make decisions about what we want in our life, assuming the risks of our determinations and having faith that in the future everything will be accommodated so that we feel better.