What is a meaningful life?

James Stewart ponders this question in the Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life" which kind of gives away the film....

But I am asking you, here, now.  How would you define a meaningful life for you?  Today we talk about just that.  As you scroll down you'll find more questions you can use to write in a journal for your self on an exercise designed to create meaning just in case you're not as far along that road as you like!

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It might be a good place to start to just make a list of how your life has meaning right now:
1. is ???

Then make a list of what is preventing your from having meaning in your life:
1. is ???

As you make these two lists, what are concrete statements and what are abstract ideas? 

For an example from my list, what is meaningful now in a concrete way is time with the cat, dog, and being outside.

What is abstract is the feeling of deep peace.

What prevents me in a concrete way is money and location - living so far away from so many things.  What is abstract is fear, resentment, obligation.

As much as I love the abstract!, if we only talk and think from that place we miss the simple path to more direct solutions.  Who are you feeling obligated to and why?  Who needs to change, you or the person you feel obligated to?

Upsetting their life doesn't mean you can't make changes.  This is not to be confused with going back on committments and responsibilities we make to children, animals, or others due to specific circumstances.  But hurt feelings aren't a good enough reason to suffer or sacrifice.

Three more very important questions are:

1. What is of value?
   
2. What/Who are you responsible for?
   
3. Who do you give your power and control to?

I still find the more I think about all this the more I realize that to create meaning requires us to grow up in so many ways.  We have to let go of blaming and grab on to what we ARE responsible for.

Beautiful art doesn't trump food and shelter.

So here we are again on the Monday!  Just a few random thoughts that will change the course of your life if you are ready for that.  Are you?

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