How do you put meaning into life?

Human beings give themselves reason for every thought, feeling and action.  In the same moment, the heart knows existence is already whole.  That is, being requires no justification and true purpose does not require words.  Which thoughts are capturing your attention now?

From the view of the mind, meaning is found and even given to individual experiences.  The mind thinks about things and often misses the 'the big picture.' Watch what happens as you connect experience with knowledge and beliefs.  Physical existence takes shape through direct experience and awareness. Which feelings enrich your life at this moment?

Notice how the mind instills meaning into life. How do you actually put meaning into life? Ponder what makes you think meaning is important.  Reflect on these points for fun;

1) Be aware people claim to find their own answers about the meaning of life or sense failure.

2) Recognize the ego mind limits your point of view 

3) Explore the scientific perspectives that appear to influence your valuing process.  

4) Know that inner knowing is anchored in something beyond verifiable, human terms.

5) Sense purpose is forever expanding based on loving and expressing compassion.

6) Realize attitude is malleable and a stepping stone to being receptive to inner power. 

7) Image how life unfolds as you accept intrinsic value exists in all conditions.

8) Know awareness is not created.  It simply is.

Why move to a place of compassion?

Regardless of your beliefs, your life experiences bring you face-to- face with choices. You can decide to be grateful for whatever unfolds, love and accept yourself and others as they are, or judge and reject people, even get angry.  Consider why it pays to move to an unwavering place of compassion; 

1) Emotions no longer control you. When you permit people to push your buttons, this reinforces illusions of inadequacy and insecurity. The domino effect may lead you to imagine fear, vulnerability and other distractions. This creates unnecessary stress. Mental discipline dissolves it.

2) Feeling hurt does not matter.  Feeling exposed, ridiculed or judged, explain why human beings resist being honest.  To realize you are always worthy frees you to stop saying what you are not and realize what you are. Emotional pain may evoke discomfort, but only as long as you do not choose to sense it for what it is. Soul knows what matters. Ego just makes it up.

3) Misplaced beliefs begin to crumble. So long as you believe someone can hurt you with words, make your life challenging with lies or untoward behaviour, then these experiences are more likely to unfold.  As you evolve, you sense discomfort is a symptom of something you do not yet recognize and accept inside. This prompts you to change how you think and act. You also start to feel grateful, to love people who seem to make life hard. They draw attention to your own misplaced thoughts and feelings calling for new attention.

4) Lessons become clearer.  To turn away from perceived problems does not enable you to grow to see what conditions are telling you about yourself.  Every event that unfolds is the universe acting to empower you to see and address beliefs that do not serve you. As you move to explore what causes you to react to people with anything other than compassion, then lessons become clearer in the now. You get closer to truth.

Review your motives

"If we forget ourselves in order to benefit others, if we are prepared to give our own lives to save the lives of others, and if we are giving them whatever is necessary for their welfare, then we shall gain happiness and all perfection." -The 14th Dalai Lama

When humans forge relationships, they may have a deeper strategic agenda.  You may not be consciously aware of why you spend time with certain people, or, you may consciously seek out people because you hope to gain from the relationship.   It may be personal or professional or, something unknown to your conscious mind. In some cases, people are very clear why they seek a particular mentor, they may wish to model a paricular kind of external success and wish to follwo similar steps to get there.

Some people are very altruistic.  They always put another person first.  This may be your partner, parent, child, friend, colleague or strangers.  In such cases, caring and devotion may come from the heart.  Love and compassion guide us unless people-pleasin, fear of rejection or codependence exist due to soul wounds.

Other people are more self-centred.  They make choices that favor their own interest, consciously or unconsciously.  They only do things if they discern it would be to their perceived advantage.  The nature of their relationships reflects their self-importance.

To fight your own will offers a lesson.  You want to do more than survive.  You want to change part of yourself that seems to be missing.  You are shaping your consciousness with every person you meet.  You stretch to become something you have always been.

Turn inward to open your heart

The soul is aware of but unaffected by what you eat and drink. The physical body requires nourishment Soul does not. What you ingest from the physical world reveals whether you are in touch with who you are or whether you are disconnected from well-being. Notice the significance of your behaviors.

To listen closely to the compassionate inner self, its necessary to recognize and rise above negative feelings. They are symptoms of your misunderstandings and unfounded beliefs, ironically created to sidetrack you from the dreams that drive your soul. Your mind concocts a vision based on its insecurity and invites you to focus on the past and future.  Balance is forever present.

When you experience anger, frustration, self-doubt or other negativity, its an opportunity to be aware of the power emotion can exert over you.  Choosing not to open yourself up to self-growth invites more intense suffering, and avoids accepting the truth of who you are.  Why might you hold yourself back?

1) False "I am unworthy" beliefs. This belief system arises when a person becomes convinced he or she is unloved or unlovable. If you don't believe you deserve love, or have never tasted love and appreciation, you may intuit rejection, assume things are wrong with you. One misunderstanding breeds another to hide resentment you need to work through in order to heal your soul and explore your true potential.

2) Dependence on external approval. If you are convinced you require external approval to accept who you are, then you buy into the illusion of inadequacy. For some reason, you hinder your ability to love and receive yourself unconditionally. Your ego distorts or rationalizes what you feel is missing, when nothing is. Ego directs your attention to incorrect reasons for feeling what you think isn't good enough. This false belief distracts how you feel alienated from your own illusions. Your perception perpetuates an artifical reality. You need to learn to let go.

3) Dominated by fears & phobias. Self-criticism may be your way of protecting your psyche.  You may justify not doing things you feel drawn to do because you're in conflict with yourself.  Recognize your fears prevent you from being fully engaged in life.  You can learn to perceive your current situation is an opportunity to heal old wounds.  Its time to discern the nature of these past wounds, explore reasons why you have them, and be willing to take steps to release yourself from their grasp.