Live a meaningful life

Live ameaningful life

Explore - Learn - Grow

Part 1- What the typical search for meaning?

Part 3- Artist views of the meaning of life

Part 2- How to pack more meaning into your life? The P.U.R.E model

Part 4- More meaning into your life

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* Searching the meaning of life can be expressed in different forms:"Why are we here?""What is life all about?""What is the purpose of existence?"

* It has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific, and theological speculation throughout history.

Introduction

Part 1- The search for meaning 2

* Personal achievement - Striving and attaining worthy life goals* Acceptance - Being at peace with oneself* Positive emotions - Feeling satisfied with life* Religion/Spirituality - Have a personal relationship with an Higher Spirit or common cause* Relationship & Intimacy - Relating well to others and community, or having a family and close friends* Self-transcendence - Losing oneself in serving others* Fairness/justice - Being treated fairly

Typical sources of a meaningful life

Part 1- The search for meaning 3

* Artist – painting

* Architect – building

* Author – book Charles Dickens

* Parent - child

Live meaning through personal achievements

Part 1- The search for meaning 4

Recommended learning modules

Part 1- The search for meaning 5

Religion/SpiritualityAcceptance & positive emotions

Part 2- How to pack more meaninginto your life? The P.U.R.E model

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Define your:* Life direction * Calling & mission* Worthy purpose & end* Priorities* Core values* A sense of significance* Reasons for living

Purpose – Understanding – Responsibility - Enjoyment

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Find out and clarify how you:* Understand yourself and others* Understand the demand of the situation* Know right from wrong* Understand one’s role in life* Achieve a sense of coherence* Can justify one’s own action

Purpose – Understanding – Responsibility - Enjoyment

Part 2- How to pack more meaninginto your life? The P.U.R.E model

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Affirm your:* Freedom of choice* Self-determination* Internal control & self efficacy * Assume responsibility of our own life & action* Civic duties* A moral agent

Purpose – Understanding – Responsibility - Enjoyment

Part 2- How to pack more meaninginto your life? The P.U.R.E model

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* An appreciative attitude* The natural outcome ofleading a purposeful andresponsible life* A sense of well-being & serenity in all circumstances* Feel good for doing good* This stage involves reflection and sometimes re-evaluation of PURE.

Purpose – Understanding – Responsibility - Enjoyment

Part 2- How to pack more meaninginto your life? The P.U.R.E model

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10Part 3- Artist views of the meaning of life

Monty Python's Meaning of Life (1983)

11Part 3- Artist views of the meaning of life

Woody Allen about meaning and truth of life on Earth

12Part 3- Artist views of the meaning of life

Will Smith onLife, Purpose, Fear and Focus: Don't "Settle"

13Part 4- More meaning into your life

* Glance at the two pictures below* What’s the first thing you see? Write it down.* Look again. Do you seesomething different the second time?

Meaning and perspective

14Part 4- More meaning into your life

* How we see things in the black and white sketches is dependent on whether or not we put the light up front or the shadows up front, or on what we see first.

* We make meaning based on our point of view and perspective, how we see things. We can change how we see things. * Sometimes it takes an outside observerto help us see things differently

Meaning and perspective - Interpretation

15Part 4- More meaning into your life

* Look at your job, your daily work, your career

* Ask yourself whether or not you would still be doing it if you had $20 million in the bank or had only 2 years to live?

* Would you spend your time just as you do now?

How to find out whether your job is meaningful?

16Part 4- More meaning into your life

Choose two or three of the life themes that best describe a situation which you personally experience:

* Coping with loss* Coping with change* Managing stress* Feeling rejected* Wanting to fit in* Fulfilling a dream* Working hard* Gaining respect* Losing respect* Forming friendships* Believing in justice

Introspection exercise: find out more about your meaningful life experiences?

* Riding a bike* Learning to read* Getting married* Going on first date* Learning to drive* Breaking family bonds* Having a baby* Falling in love* Forming belief system* Feeling insecure* Feeling sad

17Part 4- More meaning into your life

* Write a paragraph for each theme that briefly describes the time and event(s) in your life that taught you something about those themes or universal experiences.

* Make sure you include an explanation of exactly what you learned or a reflection about how the experience changed you or your thinking.

Introspection exercise: find out more about your meaningful life experiences? (continued)

18In summary

* The meaning of life is not found in nouns that describes places or things.

* It is not found in adjectives that describe experiences. Rather it is found in verbs of action.

* As the master of your own destiny you have free will.

* Even if your belief system is religion-based, free will is still an integral part of that belief - the basis of good and evil deeds.

* Therefore, no matter what your belief system, it's what you do with you life that determines its ultimate meaning.

Where to find the meaning of life?

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* wikipedia.com* Irvin Yalom, Existential Psychotherapy, 1980* Seaman D The Real Meaning of Life. New World Library, 2005* Grayling C What is Good? The Search for the best way to live.Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003* Taylor R The Meaning of Life".Good and Evil. Macmillan Publishing Company, 1970

* www.imdb.com/title/tt0085959/* www.meaningoflife.tv* d2bb.org/meaning-of-life.htm* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python's_The_Meaning_of_Life* truemeaningoflife.org/

Sources and References 19

In the note section of this slide

Participant Notes 20