Tips for Finding More Meaning in Life

1. Strength

“I read somewhere… how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong… but to feel strong.” –McCandless

Try perceiving strength as tenacity rather strength as ability. One always needs something to believe in, something to fight for, something to work towards. All too often we give up on a dream, which Carolyn Myss calls an “energy abortion.” Myss goes so far to say that if you give up on a dream, it can adversely affect your health. Tenacity pumps fresh blood through the veins of the soul. If you want to be more excited to roll out of bed in the morning, challenge yourself to accomplish something and keep going for it. “Luck is tenacity of purpose.” (Elbert Hubbard)

2. Truth

“Rather than love, than money, than fame… give me truth.” -Henry David Thoreau

An important question to ask yourself: Is your happiness portable? Can you let go of your “things” and still be content; or do you depend on certain accoutrements before you can muster a smile? McCandless was out to prove that the more he could relinquish, the happier he’d be. Every step toward simplicity is a step toward truth. It doesn’t have to mean moving to Alaska, but should you wish for a more truthful life, you might try cleaning out the closet… whether it’s a closet of trinkets, emotions, or grievances. “Simplicity is the nature of great souls.” (Papa Ramadas)

3. Adventure

To always have a such a handle on things is so routine. The unknown in life is what makes it an adventure. “In reality, nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” (McCandless)