Creating a meaningful life

The idea of leading a ‘meaningful’ life has become all the rage recently, but what does a ‘meaningful’ life really mean? In truth, it means different things to different people according to personal life priorities. In general however, it comes down to transforming your life priorities (whatever they may be) into achievable goals that will help you achieve the life you want.

The process for doing this starts off by creating a detailed vision of the future, followed by refining an action plan and finishing with tips and tools to keep yourself motivated.

Visualise the future to define your priorities

For many of us, everyday life can get in the way of us pursuing our more meaningful passions. In time these may turn into missed opportunities and regrets – a recipe for unfulfillment. To prevent this and to uncover your priorities, try visualising yourself 30 years from today. What would you regret not pursuing? What would you consider missed opportunities? It is these things that are likely to be the most meaningful to you today and should be acted upon.

List your goals

This step may take a little refining. To start with, simply write a list of all possible goals you think are attainable – these can be as specific as you like, in fact the more specific the better. Next you’ll need to refine this list by getting rid of anything you would need to talk yourself into. This should leave you with a smaller list of goals you are motivated to do and goals that will help you achieve the life you want.

Add some life to your goals

Create a tangible list of goals and add visual aids. Images to accompany your goals will help you visualise your future, bringing it to reality. Use a website like Pinterest to create vision boards for each of your goals, or create a document you can put up in your home.

Take the first step

Time for some action! As soon as you have created your list, take your first step. This could be something as simple as writing the first 500 words of your novel, or going for a 10-minute run. By taking that first step immediately you will boost motivation and create momentum.

Set some triggers

Most of what we do day-to-day is done according to triggers – an alarm clock, reminders in our calendar, visual clues etc. So be sure to set some triggers to help you remember your goals. If you want to run every day, put your trainers and running gear at the foot of your bed each night. If you want to start a new career, set a reminder in your calendar to visit a career coach. All of these triggers will help to keep you on track.

Look back and smile

Every time one of your goals gets completed, look back and give yourself praise. Rather than looking ahead to how far you have left to go, give yourself some credit for doing what you have and treat yourself.

Enjoy the journey

At the end of the day, life doesn’t always go to plan, and while you may not end up where you thought you would, by embarking on this journey you will go somewhere new, exciting and meaningful. So remember every now and then to forget the destination and to enjoy the journey.

To find out how a life coach could help you on your journey, take a look at our life coaching areas.

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