What adds Meaning to My Life?
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What is meaningful in your life that you want to spend your time doing? For me this list resulted from reading Paul Kalanithi’s book “When Breath Becomes Air”. It got me thinking about the day to day routines we get stuck in where we’re too tired to even think about what we want to do after work. When I am feeling in a rut or discover something new that adds value to my life, I revisit this list.
What makes my life better every single day?
- strong social connection with the people I love: family & friends
- spending time with Kevin, feeling connected and being physically close;
- experiencing or surrounding myself with incredible colour, design, fresh flavour, artwork, food, travel, design, architecture, and celebrating seasons and holidays including smells (flowers, wood fire);
- reading as a way to learn, gaining insight and experiences of others, remaining open-minded and encouraging deep thinking and reflection;
- being outside, playing with dirt (gardening), smelling the fresh air, experiencing sounds of nature, being active outside by means of doing yard work, hiking, biking, walking and running, while embracing the seasons and weather (feeling grounded, playing like a child, feeling heat, the quiet of the snow)
- waking up naturally with no alarm, practicing self-care and never feeling rushed. Taking the time to stretch, meditate, go to bed at a decent time;
- listening to upbeat music and dancing (alone) while doing chores around the house- ’cause it makes me feel happy;
- seeing more of the world and experiencing other regular ways of life, or societal norms (challenge my assumptions, discover meaning, traditions, cultures and history);
- showing gratitude and helping others to feel empowered and make their strong desires a priority. Having deep personal conversations about meaningful or high impact topics;
- expressing my creativity by making something from its parts: baking (incl. bread), cooking, painting, drawing, gardening, photography.
“Live with intention. Do everything with purpose and as a result of choosing to do so.
You make what you can of the situation to form your life around you. Sometimes you can’t see what’s coming. Be flexible, conscious and willing to learn in the face of adversity.
Don’t let time pass you by, it is precious and it is urgent that you live a life true to yourself.”
– QS Creative
The Little Things
- sleeping in freshly washed bedding;
- putting on lotion after a shower;
- bubble baths;
- walking in bare feet;
- walking in general;
- stretching when I have sore muscles;
- embracing seasonal changes;
- sitting in the sun;
- reading;
- fresh air;
- candlelight;
- a clean and tidy space, free of clutter.
Attitude-Oriented Goals
- don’t focus on the negativity brought by others’;
- show gratitude and be appreciative for everything that I have;
- feel my emotions and be okay with them;
- talk to someone if I am feeling troubled;
- practice forgiveness to relieve anger;
- don’t dwell on the past;
- do things that will better my future.
Whom and what do I want to be?
I want to be someone who:
- exercises regularly as part of an active lifestyle (aiming for outdoor activity, mixing up my workouts) and ends many days physically tired and feeling accomplished;
- is financially responsible but doesn’t let it rule my life;
- indulges in delicious, rich, fresh, flavourful, colourful, nourishing foods: savoury, peppers, cilantro, avocado toast, nuts, olives, balsamic reduction, fresh bread & butter, pickles, beets, asparagus, cheese, fall spices, coconut, walnuts, berries, cherries, chocolate, smoothies, fruit, wine, coffee, and tea;
- isn’t afraid, or rather, doesn’t let her fears and anxiety keep her from experiencing beauty and nature;
- is without limiting beliefs, or that can acknowledge and overcome them;
- is appreciative for everything I have;
- doesn’t put myself in a position where I regret working too much;
- is future and goal oriented yet takes the time to be int he present;
- is sentimental and compassionate, who listens;
- is open-minded and gives people the benefit of the doubt;
- figures out what makes her happy and then does those things.
What are my dream jobs?
Things I’d like to learn or do where the benefit of doing it outweighs the pay I receive:
- Help women feel comfortable in their own skin, with their lives, help them acknowledge their worth, put themselves first and become goal-oriented;
- speak to young people about using money as a tool to live your dream life filled with meaning. Start up conversations with young people around me about saving money, the power of compound interest and investing, and that working 9-5 at a corporate job is not the only path;
- helping women and girls to feel self-worth;
- inspire people to live intentionally;
- create beautiful gifts for people to adorn their homes with;
- blog and photograph the world while traveling slowly and living like a local.
With this information I can take each day, each year, and take action to only make it better than before. I will experiment, fail, try again, learn, teach, mentor, take calculated risk, challenge myself and live the life I was meant to.
Here’s to doing more of what we love.
This post is a good mindful exercise. Most of the things you mentioned require being present in the moment and that is SO HEALTHY. Love it! Thanks for sharing 😀
Thank you for sharing! I have been trying to practice intentional living and are so glad that you mentioned a new resource that I am going to go check out, “ When Breath Becomes Air”. This is a great mindful practice!