Your Life Has a Meaning p. II

The most effective way I know to Begin with the End in Mind is to develop a personal mission statement or philosophy or creed.
-Stephen R. Covey

Why is it important to Begin with the End in Mind? Let’s face it—because there is an End. It is how this world functions. You have been inexorably approaching the moment of your death since you were born.

Mr. Covey gave a few thousand words to explain why you should keep the End in your mind. I would have to quote him extensively to explain it as well as he did, however, Google doesn’t like quoting.

In short, if you won’t live true to your values, at the end of your life you could discover that you lived in vain. It’s quite probable in fact. It’s like travelling a really long distance without a map or GPS. Unless you are a great traveler you are destined to get lost. And I’m talking about the very long distance now, the distance of decades, of your lifespan.

Counter-arguments

Well, there are some who claim that the existence of the human race is a cosmic joke and we all live in vain. I think we all accept this point of view to some degree. Think of it; how many people do you know who will answer clearly, quickly and without much doubt the question: what’s your purpose in life? How many, on the other hand, live just to get by, to do the minimum their employer demands from them and then enjoy food, sex, stimulants, video games or TV excessively?
If you don’t actively pursue your destiny, you naturally tend towards the opposite. You live life with no final destination.
Hey, wake up! You know very well yourself that there will be some final destination anyway! Why not change the direction today?

Comparison

I have discovered my purpose in life: to expand beyond myself and to show others they can do it too.
I tasted the aimless life. It’s tasteless. It gives you a lot of excuses, ready solutions and reasons to waste your life on trivia. Ultimately, if your life has no meaning then you are as good as dead. If your existence makes no difference, then why exist?

When I studied at university I met one guy who led such a purposeless life. He drank a lot. He spent most of his money on prostitutes. He did only what was necessary to get by. He always cheated with sick leave and he was taking his exams 6 months after the deadline. And he always got a scholarship, because he was very bright. But he was also miserable.

Now it’s your turn. Think about someone you know who believes that life has no purpose and is happy simultaneously. Quite a mental exercise, isn’t it?

And I taste the purposeful life now. The difference is indescribable.
Each of my actions has a meaning. Each of my experiences is a lesson I need. Each minute is invested, not spent. The quality of my life has increased by an order of magnitude.
I feel more and deeper. I do more and better. I learn more and faster. I fail more often and thrive.
Words are just too dull to express this difference. Talking to the no-purpose philosophy believers I feel like describing colors to the blind.

Check it out

Do you really want your life to be just producing two swimming pools of saliva or eating 60,000 pounds of food?
Don’t take the ‘there is no meaning, there is no sense’ propaganda without a pinch of salt. First try both sides of the equation; try to live with purpose for some time and decide what’s better for you. Don’t take the word of the skeptics; don’t take my word. Taste it yourself. Experience it yourself.
What have you got to lose?

I’ve been there; I’ve done that. I tell you—there is no comparison between those lifestyles. Purposeful life wins hands down.

All those philosophies which say that humans are just tiny, tiny pawns on the universe chessboard bring nothing of value to humankind. They have made you powerless; they equate your fate with the fate of animals. It’s true that you can’t influence the movements of the planets or the work of the sun.

But you have free will. You have a working mind and imagination—and the power over a single entity in the universe.

You.

Take that responsibility. Seek your purpose and then live it.

Did you like this post? Check out Your life has a meaning p. I