Four ways to ascribe positive meaning to your life

Many of us will experience tragedy during our lives. There may be illness, death and misery around us. How will we handle it?

As we face the suffering that can be part of life, it is often useful to find ways to create meaning. This can give us a way forward and help pave a path of light through the darkness we may see in the world.

Your possibilities

What can you achieve? What does the future hold?

There may be many more possibilities available to you than you currently recognise. Making the most of the time you have to pursue your dreams can be one of life’s most fulfilling journeys.

Mindset is often described as existing on a spectrum between fixed and growth. With more of a growth mindset, you may be more likely to see the possibilities and options available to you and believe that your abilities can develop.

When you adopt this frame of mind, you may become more open to learning, change and becoming the person you want to be.

Your family

How you live affects not only your life but also those around you.

Anyone reading this who has children may particularly relate to this, but it can extend to other family relationships too: sisters, brothers, parents, grandparents and cousins. We may all have people who are close to us, and, for many, family can be their most precious and sacred treasure.

Life can become busy. If other areas of your life are repeatedly preventing you from spending time with your family, you may feel that something meaningful is missing.

Your community

If you have structured your life so that you can adequately take care of yourself and your family, and you feel reasonably secure within society, why not consider taking the next step?

Providing money to a charity can be extremely valuable, while volunteering your time may offer another satisfying way to contribute.

Find something you are passionate about and pursue a greater cause. How could your actions help improve your community?

Your legacy

For some people, legacy can be a powerful source of motivation.

What would you like to be known for when you die? Who might talk about you, and what would you hope they would say? These can be important questions for anyone who wants to leave a meaningful legacy.

Thinking about death can be uncomfortable, but taking this perspective allows us to see the bigger picture. As time passes, our lives will inevitably come to an end.

What would you like to leave behind? What values, relationships, contributions or achievements would you like people to remember?

We cannot control everything that happens to us or determine our entire destiny. However, the choices we make can influence the direction of our lives and the effect we have on others.