In the past year I have thought a lot about meaning. I wonder how it is that my life seems filled with meaning and purpose while others struggle to find any meaning in their existence.

I think part of my ease with meaning comes from my family teachings about the value of hard work. Another aspect is my own innate resilience. A part that I am still learning is how to chart my own path regardless of the expectations of others.

My friend and mentor Eric Maisel has challenged me to think more deeply about creating personal meaning. He believes that we are all responsible for creating meaning in our lives. He suggests we must question everything in order to determine what we believe. We must also be prepared to honour our beliefs in the face of others’ disapproval.

I think we practice this at many stages throughout our lives. At first it is a way of declaring independence from the constraints of adults who control the lives of children and adolescents. Regardless of our attempts to think freely, it seems that only the most persistent are able to define their own personal meaning.

Recently I read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. In it a young man seeks his destiny. One of the recurring messages is that it is easy to become distracted. The young man is often delayed in his search for his destiny, but rarely distracted. Of course in the end he finds his destiny, fulfills his obligations and moves on to a presumably happy and gratifying life.

One of the things I liked about the book was that the young man applied himself fully in a variety of circumstances. Could this be an essential component of creating personal meaning?

My friend Charlotte Hussey told me about a Sufi teacher whose name was Hazrat Inayat Khan. He said that the first step on the path of wisdom is to discover our life’s purpose. He suggested that few people actually find their life’s purpose. Although they may be successful in work or domestic life, an abiding dissatisfaction is an indication that they have not truly found their life’s purpose.

For those few who actually know the purpose of their lives there is no guarantee that life will be easy. Rather, Kahn suggested that when someone has found his life purpose no matter how difficult life is, from the moment of knowing life’s purpose there is nothing he will not withstand and no sacrifice he will not make to attain his purpose.

So it seems that my dear old mom and dad may have been right. Hard work, commitment to the right task and perseverance are necessary for a meaningful life. Happiness is not guaranteed, but strength of conviction leads to a certain satisfaction.

I am grateful for what I understand about my own life’s purpose. I am confident that I fulfill a part of my life’s purpose as a learner, artist, teacher and mentor. I am curious about the fuller extent of my destiny.

© C O P Y R I G H T   2 0 0 6.  Mary Sullivan Holdgrafer ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.