How to find meaning in your life

I was strolling down Kastanienallee, one of the trendy shopping streets in the former East Berlin, with my bestie visiting from Sweden.

‘Life is finally back to normal’, I thought to myself. But is it really back to what it used to be? No, not really. We socialise, travel and everything is open again, but life is different than what it used to be.

I have more real conversations.

I forgive and move on faster.

I look the people I care about in the eyes and ask: ‘How are you?’

I interact with life on a deeper level.

I’m more honest and say, ‘I don’t enjoy camping’ and let my husband go alone with our daughter on a camping trip.

I have noticed I’m more grateful and I compromise less.

How do you experience ‘the new normal’? What has changed in your life?

My bestie and I walked into a random shop and the first thing I saw was a bag that said: ‘Think less, dance more’. If there had been music playing I would have started dancing immediately!

After some cheerful small talk with the shop owner, we headed towards our favourite ice cream place. I left feeling like something amazing had happened, and I laughed to myself when I realised it was just a normal interaction with a stranger!

‘What actually gives life meaning is the willingness to live it’. – The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer.

I hear so many people talking about finding their purpose and I always think about Elisabeth Gilbert’s talk about how much anxiety this search can lead to.

There is nothing wrong with trying to find your purpose, but for me, today, I find it far more valuable to ask myself ‘what gives life meaning right now?‘

Sometimes it’s just sitting at my favourite restaurant having lunch on my own in the sun.

Sometimes it’s calling a friend and sharing how we actually are doing.

Sometimes it’s reading (for the 10th time;) another poem my daughter wrote for me.

My bestie and I ended the day on my terrace. It was one of those unforgettable evenings, so warm we could stay outside as long as we wanted. We had a glass of wine and talked about the pain and the joy we had experienced since we last met.

Close to midnight I took out a photo album from a trip to Guatemala we had taken together in 2001. I hadn’t seen those pictures in a long time.

As we looked through them I noticed two things: one part of me was proud that I had embarked on this adventure, but I also felt sad.

I felt sad for the 20-something girl who was so lost and deep down unhappy. In my search for love and fulfilment, I was always looking outside of myself for a new adventure or relationship.

For a long time I felt incredibly lost. I was constantly looking for love and appreciation from the outside, never feeling satisfied.

Reading The Untethered Soul, I realise how much meaning my life has now. There is nothing I need to find, as I have what I need right here in front of me. If I’m just willing to live my life.

And just like the message on the bag in the shop, when I think less and dance more I feel like I’m living my life in every cell of my body.

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Love,

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