How to Add Meaning to Your Life (And Feel Incredibly Fulfilled)

What is meaningful depends on each person. There is no one formula for living a meaningful and rich life. Finding meaning is your own personal journey to discovering what really matters in life and then pursuing those things.

But wait…the good news is that you can do it.

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You can find meaning in your life. Meaning is out there and it’s waiting for you, if you know where to look for it.

To help you find your path, there are some different patterns and common ways that people have come to live a rich, meaningful and deep life.

You can use these things as your personal guide to living a fulfilling and meaningful life, and one that you would be proud of when all your precious moments are near its end.

1. Find your significance

We often ask ourselves “What am I supposed to do with my life or what is my purpose?”

The answer is in significance.

Everybody wants to leave their mark in this world. They want to be able to feel as though their life served a purpose, and usually that purpose is linked to having a valuable and significant impact in the world.

For some, it’s enough to simply make a valuable contribution to just one other person, and for others, they want to influence a whole community or even the world.

What is your significance?

What do you dream that you could do in this world? And what drives you?

To live a meaningful and fulfilling life, find out what matters most to you in this world and then choose to make an impact with it.

2. Choose wholeness over happiness

Don’t get me wrong. Happiness is very important in life. However, when everything we do is aimed at pursuing happiness, it becomes dangerous.

This is because, it assumes that happiness should be our default position, but happiness does not teach us anything. It is our challenges and failures that grow us and make us who we are.

So what about wholeness?

“Wholeness is what we ought to be striving for and part of that is sadness, disappointment, frustration, failure; all of those things which make us who we are”. – Hugh Mackay

Another important thing to remember about striving solely for happiness is that happiness is often more about being a taker rather than a giver. Essentially, we are happy when we get what we want…or at least that’s what we think.

“Happiness without meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self-absorbed or even selfish life, in which things go well, needs and desires are easily satisfied, and difficult or taxing entanglements are avoided”. – Roy F. Baumeister

So, to find more meaning in your life, strive for wholeness above happiness. Certainly embrace happiness when it comes your way, but don’t let it be your ultimate goal in life.

Otherwise, you are likely to find little meaning, growth and purpose, and may find yourself living solely for your own good rather than enriching the lives of others.

3. Be intentional

Are you being intentional about ‘building’ powerful meaning in your life?

Are you choosing to make your moments in life matter or are you disregarding opportunities that could potentially add to an incredibly meaningful life?

Sometimes the answer to creating meaning in our life lies in the very small opportunities all around us where we can connect with others, contribute to others and constantly consider new ways to make all of our moments matter.