14 short ideas that will give you more of a sense of meaning than 97% of people

A reader recently asked me to share what I knew about finding meaning in life.

I thought it best to express what I know through a handful of quick sentences:

The truth about meaning is that meaning is not real. Meaning is a thought we project onto our environment, things and other people.

Out in the cold, harsh expanse of space, there is no meaning. Only matter and energy.

‘Meaning’ is a thought we interpret. It is malleable depending on how we think and the degree to which we do not.

We feel pleasure when it appears we have meaning in our lives, but this doesn’t mean things need to be a certain way to have meaning.

It’s important to live in a way that is as close to nature as possible. This means eating and sleeping well, and allowing love in. But once our natural needs are met, meaning is what you make it.

Because meaning is what you make it, you are free to leave it alone. You needn’t worry about having more meaning in your life as long as you experience life with an open mind.

We live better when we interpret our lives reasonably. When we spend an inordinate amount of time in our thoughts, we begin to perceive reality…