Do you find yourself asking the question ‘Is this all there is in life?’

The hype of Christmas day and all the promised happiness, and New Years celebrations may for many be masking an undercurrent of discontent. A void that we never to seem fill. No matter how much more we do, and have, in our life, MORE never seems to satisfy that place within us that never feels full.

Even among the affluent and supposedly ‘successful people’ we see the signs of unhappiness, addiction, relationship conflicts, obsession with social media, and the relentless drive for MORE. Even though by historical standards most of us already have more than we need.

What seems to be underneath this unhappiness is a disconnection from a deep sense of purpose, place and perspective in our lives.

Eckhart Tolle refers to this as ‘the other pandemic’ in our world today, the ‘pandemic of nihilism.’ Nihilism is a contagious belief that everything in life is random, pointless and meaningless, unless of course it suits MY ego. This belief system, according to Tolle, causes a deep form of collective suffering.

We can counter nihilism by finding our own purpose for the greater good, and giving our life meaning

Seneca, observed 2000 years ago, that, “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable.”

Without purpose, we lack direction, a compass. Many of us do not have a future that sufficiently inspires us. Without clarity of our life’s purpose, our calling, we lack that true north and that thing that pulls us into action and we start to find that experiences in our life don’t feel meaningful. We can find ourselves in the rat race of the caged life, in a bit of auto pilot, and start to feel a bit low and glum.

We are all looking for meaning in our life

It’s possible to live in a way that something gives you limited meaning for many years, then that ‘something’ suddenly turns out to be meaningless. What seemed once quite meaningful, now might seem like it’s not satisfying at all.

For example, you might have a career that you think that gives you meaning. You might work to create a better life for your family, or you might want to work to achieve recognition and status in your job.

But at some point, a meaning that’s purely personal, will begin to lose its power, and you might arrive at a point in your life where your career doesn’t mean anything anymore. Or, perhaps it consumes you so much that you become sick with stress, and can hardly get out of bed some days. In some way or another it turns into something that’s not satisfying anymore and it creates suffering.

The dark side of shallow, controlling and ego driven purpose

Many people today, on social media, are creating a purpose about them being right and ‘those other idiots’ being wrong. There appears to be a growing trend of people making their purpose and meaning about annihilating - socially or physically - people they think are wrong. This is purpose and meaning gone mad.

A true sense of meaning and purpose should be approached with humility, an intent to serve others, and respecting the dignity of all living beings.

Despite all our affluence, and the tantalising, whizz-bang excitement of social media and technology, pathways to lasting meaning and purpose are more likely to be found in ancient wisdom - before our ‘leaders’ were driven demented by the need to be popular on social media.

You have to go deeper

If you don’t make the time to work on creating the life you want, you’re eventually going to be forced to spend a lot of time dealing with a life you don’t want.

Finding a deep sense of meaning that aligns with our deeper, more authentic self requires asking some hard, but ultimately rewarding questions.

No one awakens in their comfort zone

Just like a plant that grows in a protected environment, such as in a greenhouse, we will not evolve if we stay in our protected, safe, old conditioned ways. In the greenhouse, the plant has just the right temperature, so the plant grows tall very quickly. But it’s actually very weak because the moment it is put outside in the elements, it shrivels and dies. It hasn’t developed the strength it needs to exist in the real world.

So, in short, the optimum way to become more awake to your true purpose, is to use the challenges you are facing in your daily life as your teacher. You don’t have to go and live in Surfer’s Paradise, or Bali to awaken (although I do love those places!).

Ask yourself these questions to start to go deeper:

Can I be with this discomfort rather than soothe with booze, staying busy and over socialising?
Am I denying reality and creating a false me to look ‘perfect’ on social media?
How could this ‘problem’ be asking me to go deeper?
Can I turn this pain into compassion for myself and empathy for others, and apply my learning to help reduce suffering in the world?
How can I make my life about respecting and enhancing the dignity of all people and living beings?

Learn more on getting clarity of your lifes purpose at the upcoming beach retreat Saturday 20th January, with Jo Jarden. Click the image below for details

Jo Jarden is a certified personal trainer and yoga teacher in Christchurch New Zealand and the founder of Heart and Mind Yoga studio. She has 10 years experience in health promotion in New Zealand and Australia including management and promotion of national chronic disease prevention programs. She now helps people find mental peace, physical vitality and to live purpose, through health coaching, yoga teaching, personal training, workplace yoga and wellness events.