I actually wanted to call this blog the meaning from life. You see, I’m not convinced life has meaning per se. Life is life. Life owes us nothing because it gave us itself! I believe instead that we derive meaning from the life we have been given. We extract meaning from what we bring to table not from what we take. Takers inevitably feel hollow. Givers experience karmic happiness. And their joy has instant turnaround time.
So what is the meaning from life? Well, I have distilled it down to seven words. That way, it serves as carry on luggage which you can take anywhere and access any time. Here it is: Grow your life. Touch another life. Repeat.
Harvard Business School Professor, Clayton Christensen is the creator of disruptive innovation and is ranked #1 in the Thinkers50 list. He posed the question "how will you measure your life?” Quite deep for a business professor! Christensen said that although he went into businesses to improve their economics, he believed the message he left with them was to make an impact on the lives they serve. In this, I couldn’t agree further. I was thrilled to hear the principle I have lived by from an institution like Harvard. People tend to pay more attention when they hear nouns of that repute. So I unapologetically piggy-back with that said.
Growing your life requires regular reflection and introspection. It can be done with the aid of a coach, mentor, counsellor or a trusted friend. Growth is all about reaching for the best in yourself and not imposing on others whilst doing it. It is not about fixing you because you are not broken. Rather, it gravitates around the belief in your potential and expression of it.
Now if you only grow for the sake of bettering your conditions, that's a good start. After all, airline emergency protocol still instructs to put the oxygen mask on yourself first. But the air steward always finishes by saying, "before assisting others". It follows then, that part two of the meaning from life is to touch another life. I'm proposing that you bring something of value to one other person's life so that they might breathe easier. And this can be as simple as kind word or two, a gesture of sincere gratitude or the gift of encouragement or hope. And it extends into the standard of service you deliver in your career.
Whatever happens, don't stop at touching one life. Repeat the process. Serve another. And another. You will be in awe what this does for your esteem and confidence. Simon Sinek, author and inspirational speaker, encapsulates the notion here so poignantly in his description of book stores. Sinek says you can find several aisles of books classified by 'self-help', but you can't find any aisles labelled 'help others'.