4 Simple Ways To Reflect Back On The Meaning Of Your Life

Illustrations (Vidar Nordli-Mathisen / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Everyone has made mistakes in life. Good when making the wrong decision, failing to achieve a dream, until a desire that has not been realized. In western culture, people are required to practice the grip of life and work hard to get everything.

In fact, the success of life can not always be measured by hard work. Forcing yourself to work too hard actually makes you forget to enjoy life until you feel empty.

Instead of lamenting the void, you can take advantage of it by finding out the meaning of life. Begin to interpret your life as it is. Go to meaningful places that you can take meaning from. Begin to see that even a life of pain, loss, and disappointment, can also be a life worth living.

Launching Psychology Today, Tuesday, January 11, here are four factors to consider when reconstructing your life goals.

Do you have what it takes in life?

Do you have enough food to eat each day and clean water to drink? Do you have a place to live, even if it isn't perfect? Do you feel safe? Are your vital organs intact and still functioning?

To someone who has lived well, these things may seem harsh rather than meaningful. But take a look, a lot of people can't answer yes to all or even any of those questions. When considering whether you are living the good life, don't forget the fact that you already have what it takes.

The success of sustaining life every day through eating, sleeping, and trying to stay healthy is a gift to be grateful for.

To whom do you mean?

We can only truly know our own life from within. But sometimes, when life feels empty, it's a good idea to try to see yourself from the outside. Think about the people who are important to you, the people who would be affected if you chose to disappear.

If you have one person who loves and knows you deeply, then life is too pointless to ignore. Instead, consider people who know and appreciate you in small ways. Even if you don't feel deeply connected to the people in your life, this doesn't mean your existence is meaningless to other people. Loneliness doesn't mean you're alone.

Who are you responsible for?

Many people feel bored and tired of living life as adults. Moreover, if the dream of adult life as a child is different from the reality when you are really an adult.

The point is, just try to accept the reality first. Sure, life can be a lot of fun, but it can also be hard and boring. Give meaning to all your daily activities and try to think, does the boring thing you do is useful for other people, directly or indirectly? Whose life do you nurture and enrich through your hard work?

Just remember that your existence, even in small and imperfect ways, can actually improve and make the lives of others easier.

What factors are beyond your control?

You certainly expect to grow, get out, and make life better. This is the perfect way to make sense of life. But, in fact life is not as perfect as imagined.

Think about all the disappointing times you've had. Was your choice to give up on the dream just a personal failure? Or is it a reasonable response to a series of out of control circumstances?

Illness, financial crises, and natural disasters can hinder life's dreams. Instead of labeling life a failure, try to be gentler with yourself. Remember that you've done your best to keep yourself alive, have people who like you, and be a responsible person.

Even if you haven't built a perfect life, remember that you have built a life. And even an imperfect life full of suffering can also be a great life full of meaning.