Powerful Steps to a More Meaningful Life

10,000 decisions create a life! White continues: You make many decisions every day. Every waking moment you face another. James Thurber said: “All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why. Do you understand how you make the decisions of your life? Do you follow your “heart’s desire,” the messages and values of community and family, or do you do follow what you believe to be right? Master your decision-making process and you will master your life. Henry David Thoreau said, “To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.” By making your decisions more conscious, you will be in a better position to decide how to invest the time and energy of your life and mold your days toward the highest possible quality.

Listen to the still, small voice of Intuition! Each of us has our own “felt sense” of what is important, what is worthwhile and right for our lives. This is the voice of intuition, the voice of deep “knowing”- that can at times be powerful and strong. It is often right there, whispering in your ear, if you will but listen. Bring intuition and reason into harmony, and your quest for a meaningful life will be half won. What do you value, and why? Intuition can come from many a source: fairy tales, myths, connection to the earth, attunement with the body. As Søren Kierkegaard understood, "There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” Have the courage to explore the source of your values, honoring what you were given, while at the same time learning to trust your own deep truth. In the intersection of these currents lies a strong foundation for whatever you choose to do. Where reason, intuition, and deep values intersect, there you will find the treasure: The treasure of Wisdom. Quite different from knowledge, wisdom is the key to Freedom, Peace, Love, and Joy. The search is not easy, the directions unclear, but many found the path before you; now it lies waiting, but it’s discovery depends on you.

Find role models to guide you! White continues: No one takes this journey alone. Find those who seem (to you) to have created worthwhile and meaningful lives. Study how they lived, ask for their help, absorb the wisdom they pass along. Consider carefully how their words and deeds might apply to you. Then strike out and discover, as Joseph Campbell said: ”We have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes [and heroines] of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; and where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.” Imagine your life as you think it can be! Dream, and listen to your dreams. Invite your imagination to create an image of how your life can be fulfilled. Ask: What is truly important? What will I hold onto, and what must I let go? Who will travel with me? What aims out-shine all other aims? Take risks. As Helen Keller had good reason to know, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature. Avoiding danger, in the long run, is no safer than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” Expect - and accept – mistakes! T. S. Eliot said e are “undefeated” as long as we “go on trying.” This does not mean continuing on a foolish path, but accepting that mistakes are a part of the journey. What to do about those mistakes? Take stock, regroup, reimagine, and move on. A Zen master was asked: How did you become enlightened? His answer: One mistake at a time. We do not reach fulfillment by avoiding mistakes, but through learning from each one we make.

Focus your intention! “Five miles out in the stormy North Atlantic,” writes White in On Being Human, “on a rugged, almost barren rock, successive generations of monks lived what was, for them, a meaningful life. You do not need to make the same choices they made, but set a clear intention for yourself, focus your will on what you have chosen, and practice with sincerity and purpose. Occasionally refine the course, but sail on, sail on. Do not wait final answers, but remember the ancient Chinese saying: ‘A bird does not sing because it has answers. It sings because it has a song.’” Listen for the Harmony! White continues: Einstein thought the most basic question of human existence was this: Is the universe a friendly place? No one can answer that question for you (Einstein’s answer was - Yes). If he was right, if it is a friendly place, then you have the possibility of finding your way into alignment with the harmony, the music of the spheres. You can find a way to play your part in the symphony of life. If the world is friendly, in spite of all the hardships and difficulties, then your part involves doing what is good, as you discern the good, as often as you can. By so doing, you will make the world ever more friendly for others, and also for yourself. When it is possible – Choose Love and Joy! Life is filled with difficult decisions – as well as struggles and mistakes. It can be hard! In the face of the hardship, most of us will become discouraged, perhaps even at times feel defeated. What to do? Accept the difficulties as a natural part of life, but in those moments when you have the strength to make a choice, make an effort to choose love. St. John of the Cross said, “Where there is no love, put love, and there you will find love.” Any time you can add a portion of love to the world, at that moment you will be in the presence of love.