Show me the LOVE…

What creates happiness? Fulfillment? Meaning? What is at the core of creating a meaningful life? I think it is simply love. LOVE is at the core of anything meaningful. If you love what you are doing, it will feel meaningful. You will feel content, fulfilled and happy.

If you love to travel, then spend your money on that! Save your money for an adventure! Plan your trip, take time to make it what you dream. The saving will be worth it and the trip will fill your spirit.

If you love music then go see as many concerts as you can! Your walls could be bare with nothing to adorn them but your ticket stubs and just looking at those will make you feel fulfilled. You will have many amazingly unique stories to share when people come over. The music will feed your soul.

If you love home decorating then make that your passion. Research colors, fabrics, furniture styles. Make your home a reflection of yourself. Be bold, be subtle, just be you.

If you love helping others then make service your passion. Volunteer with kids at a boys and girls club, be a big brother or big sister. Work with programs that help the homeless. Donate food, clothes, your time. Research charities whose cause you love and support those in any way you can.

If new experiences are what you love, buy up every Groupon or Living Social deal you can and get out there and try new things. I’ve gone kayaking, paddle boarding, blown glass, thrown pottery, painted a couple of acrylic paintings and done a ropes course 50 feet off the ground. Why? Because I had never done any of those things and they sounded fun. I was happy to spend money on those activities, happier than if I’d bought a new rug for my living room. And as a bonus, I have great memories to share.

Your house no matter how big or small will be a home if it is filled with love. You will feel content there. If you have a few things that make you happy, that add beauty and have a purpose, things you really love that speak to you, then they add meaning and you will feel fulfilled.

If you love gardens, forgo the fancy landscaped lawn and put in flower beds, a vegetable garden, fruit trees and berries. I guarantee you will use the space more and your life will feel more meaningful if you are looking at something you love.

If you love sports or one specific sport play it! Watch it! Buy tickets to events. Meet with friends to share the love of the game. Be that fan. The fanatic who lives and breathes the game. If you love it, it is worth it.

If you love learning or information, audit a class at a local university. Frequent your public library. Visit museums and art galleries in your area. Choose a hobby and find a class or a club designed for sharing the passion of that craft.

If you love the outdoors make nature your escape. The woods, the water, the mountains, the beach. Enjoy, experience and live in all it has to offer you.

Spend time with people you love, like-minded people who share your passions of life. If you love who you are with, the relationship will feel meaningful. You will feel happiness. If you surround yourself with people who are content and happy you will feel this too. Most importantly if you love yourself, you will feel meaningful. Our self-worth can only be as great as we believe it to be.

Then there’s that work thing. Our jobs. For some having a job that they love is meaningful. It makes them feel fulfilled. But if you just see your job as a means to be able to do other things you love, then use it as that. If you are lucky enough to have a job you love that also allows for you to do other things you love then that’s awesome!

Meaningfulness is all about love. So love what you do, love who you are with and most of all love yourself! With this mindset you are well on your way to creating a meaningful life custom-made just for you! The awesome thing about love is there is no monetary value that anyone can place on its power or importance. It is infinite. Love can conquer anything.

Meaningfulness = Love
Happiness = Love
Fulfillment = Love

 

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