Have you ever thought about the meaning you add to life while it flows rapidly?
Have you ever examined how the way you define life affects your behaviors, goals, and lifestyle?
Or is this definition in your mind really yours? Or is it a legacy inherited from your parents or an influence left by your environment?
Many of us don’t know or care about how we define life throughout our lives.
With school, exams, financial struggles, health issues, and endless tasks, most of us don’t even find the time or allocate time to stop and reflect on this.
However, the way we define life has a significant impact on our overall emotional state.
If you are reading this article, it means you are curious about how you define life and its impact on you, and you have taken the time to think about it.
When I attended Tony Robbins’ online seminar, Tony asked everyone how we define life and explained how our way of defining life can either stress us out or make us feel energized.
Because Tony Robbins is aware of the true power of words and knows very well that the way we define life will change the meaning we attach to it and affect our reactions to events.
The most important fact that Tony Robbins mentions in all his seminars is:
Meaning (the meaning you give to something) =
Emotion (the feeling that meaning evokes in you) =
Life (the direct impact on your life through the action or reaction you take as a result of the emotion).
In other words, the way we define life changes the meaning we give to it.
The meaning we give to life, in turn, affects our emotions, and our emotions direct all our actions and behaviors.
This was actually a concept I thought about from time to time through the books I read until this seminar.
However, until now, I hadn’t thought about it deeply enough, and when I did, I realized that I defined life as a place where everything must be done correctly and perfectly.
I understood that this definition made me feel inadequate every time I made a mistake, and I realized I needed to change it immediately.
And now, I see life as a game and playground with rules set by God.
An area where you play games with your loved ones within the rules, a game where you win not through competition but by uniting…
This definition helps me enjoy life and have fun.
At the same time, it teaches me that I must follow the rules, that I don’t have to do everything perfectly, and that the more I help people, the more I win.
Tony Robbins defines life as “finding joy and meaning in each moment, even through its challenges.” in his blog post titled “Cultivating joy, peace, and love with the power of being you”.
He also says that life is about creating harmony, giving the ultimate gift of being your true self, and that we each have the power to add a touch of joy, peace, and love to the world – one person at a time.
So, how do you define life?
Is it a tough exam?
An adventure where every moment needs to be explored?
An endless ocean?
A journey full of opportunities?
Everyone will define it differently and give it their own unique meaning.
But the important thing is that the events you have experienced, what you have been told or taught shouldn’t influence your way of defining life.
Because then, you wouldn’t really be defining life yourself, right?
And no one wants to live a life defined by someone else.
Define life in a way that makes you feel good, that makes you care about your loved ones, that makes you enjoy serving and helping those in need, that always energizes you, and that helps you see opportunities.
Remember, your way of defining life will determine the meaning you attach to it, and,
Meaning = Emotion = Life!
Even though it has become popular these days, especially on social media, to define life as “a prison we have to live in” the likelihood of this dragging you into depression is equally high.
Please, don’t be one of them…
Stop right now and think about how you have defined life until today…
If you aren’t defining it in a way that empowers you, grab a piece of paper and pen and write a new definition that makes you feel good.
And remind yourself of this definition every morning.
This way, your mind will accept this new definition faster, and the meaning and emotions you associate with life will change more rapidly.
I also want to share a story about the meaning of life:
Once upon a time, there was a man who became obsessed with finding out the meaning of life. None of the answers he found were satisfactory, so he decided to ask others.
But the answers he received didn’t satisfy him either. Yet he kept thinking, “There must be an answer.” He made up his mind to ask everyone this question.
He traveled through villages, towns, and countries, and time, of course, didn’t stand still. Just as he was about to lose hope, the people in a village told him,
“Do you see those mountains over there? There lives an old wise man. If you want, go to him. Maybe he can give you the answer you’re looking for,” they said.
After a challenging journey, the man finally reached the wise man’s house. He entered and asked the wise man what the meaning of life was.
The wise man said, “I will tell you the answer, but first, you must pass a test.”
The wise man handed the man a teaspoon filled to the brim with olive oil. “Now go out and take a walk around the garden, then come back here. Just be careful not to spill a drop of the olive oil in the spoon; if you spill even a drop, you will fail,” he said.
The man, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon, took a walk around the garden and returned. The wise man looked at him and asked,
“Yes, the oil hasn’t spilled. So how was the garden?” The man stood there, speechless.
“But I couldn’t look anywhere other than the spoon…” he said.
Upon this, the wise man replied, “Now, go around the garden again. You’ll still hold the spoon, but this time, observe the garden.”
The man went back to the garden, mesmerized by the beauty he saw; he was in a magnificent garden.
When he returned, the wise man asked him how the garden was, and the man enthusiastically described all the beauty he had seen.
The wise man smiled, “But there’s no oil left in the spoon,” he said, and added:
“Life gains meaning through your perspective. If you focus only on one point, life will flow by, and you won’t even realize it… Or you can live life in the midst of all the beauty you can see, and the time that flows by will become meaningful. In short, the meaning of your life is hidden in your perspective.”
And as Bon Jovi says,
Life is a mystery, it’s a blessing and a curse. Or something worse.
In other words, life is all about your perspective, and how you define it and the meaning you give it depends on you…
Define your life in a way that empowers you, live with passion, approach yourself and others with love, and don’t be quick to judge people…
There will always be ups and downs in life, and as I mentioned in my blog post “Four Seasons of Life – Embracing Change and Growth” this is where the beauty of living lies.
And don’t dwell on the past; forgive yourself and others, and keep moving forward…
Because life is a huge gift full of opportunities worth living for…
Be full of energy! Believe in yourself! Live with passion!
Take care of yourself!
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