***4 Freedoms Integration Exercise (4): The Meaning of Life

INTEGRATION EXERCISES
Exercises To Do On Your Own
by Al Link and Pala Copeland

THE MEANING OF LIFE

A primary function of consciousness is to bestow meaning, to decide what things mean for you personally. Examples include deciding how important something is to you regardless of its importance to someone else, how something ranks in priority compared with other things in your life, and whether you will spend time, money, or energy on something. Someone can spend an entire lifetime in search of the meaning of life and never find it, primarily because there is no meaning inherent in life. Instead, each of us, in an act of free will, decides what our lives mean and what is meaningful in our lives. Finding the meaning in your life is primarily a decision and only secondarily a search. Searching leads to a decision more than to a discovery.

It makes sense that the meaning or purpose of your life lies in pursuing something you love to do that is also of service to others and to God. Doing what you love to do, serving others, and earning a living at the same time comprise "following your bliss." In this exercise you reflect on what you love most to do, with a view to deciding eventually what your bliss is, and at that time taking action to follow it.

Time for Exercise : five minutes to one hour

Properties Required: pen and paper (optional)

Steps:

1. Think about things you love to do.
2. Which one jumps out at you as the one thing you love most?
3. Allow your imagination to play with possibilities whereby you could earn a living doing the thing you love. Don’t worry if you can’t think of any.
4. Ask yourself, “If I could make a living doing—whatever it is you most love to do—would I do it?”
5. Answer “yes” and let that work deep into your consciousness.
6. Remain alert for opportunities that present themselves for you to follow your bliss, to be of service, and to earn a living. They will.

Variation:

With a partner, take turns exploring, with and for each other, what you love to do. Just talking about it unleashes your creative power. Remember: pay attention to what you pay attention to, because you are going to get more of it.