Do a meaning challenge

What can you do in the next two weeks to deepen your experience of time?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to try a meaning challenge in the next
two weeks. Consciously build something meaningful into your life, and

(00:26):
you will probably experience time in an all new way.
Today's tip, like another this week, comes from Jody Wellman's
book You Only Die Once. This book, in general, is
about living more fully given that life inevitably ends. In
her books, she suggests living more broadly, that is, doing

(00:49):
more things, but also living more deeply. That's about imbuing
life with more meaning. Now it is possible that your
life is already full of meeting you are saving lives
in a hospital, or saving souls as a pastor or
something like that. If so amazing, but a lot of

(01:11):
people's lives do not have that same level of meaning
structurally built in. If so, it's time to take some
more active steps to deepen daily existence. Wellman suggests embarking
on a meaning challenge in the next two weeks. The
idea is to choose something that feels meaningful to you

(01:33):
and consciously choose to spend time on it. For instance,
she suggests you could volunteer over the next two weeks,
or she writes, it could be planning a challenging task
with your teenage daughter, like researching your family tree. Maybe
you tune into an online religious service. Perhaps you map

(01:53):
out your ideal legacy. You could call an elderly relative
and make a substantial connection beyond what's going on with
the weather. Maybe you sit at the coffee shop and
make a list of the top ten things I value
in life, really upping the anne on your self awareness.
You might choose a challenging task that sweeps you up

(02:14):
into the flow zone. Maybe you sit with a journal
and write about the impact you've made at home, at work,
in your community, in ways both big and small. It
could be seeking out an awe inspiring experience. Wellman notes
that the point of this meaning challenge is not to
do one specific thing. She says that there is no

(02:37):
wrong pathway to meaning. Remember that it's the pursuit of
purpose that does the mighty job of creating depth in
this life you get to live. So as the seasons
change and we start heading toward the reflective end of
the year, it might help to create a meaning challenge
for yourself. What could you do in the next two

(02:59):
weeks to make life feel more meaningful. How could you
devote time to that pursuit of meaning? Make your arrangements
and figure out the logistics. I am guessing you will
make the next few weeks very memorable. Indeed, in the meantime,

(03:21):
this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

(03:50):
is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows.