How to Live a Happy Life for Teens

Here are some actions that can point you in the right direction. The answer to this question looks different for everyone, which is both comforting and discouraging. Don’t forget to download our three Meaning and Valued Living Exercises for free. My mission in life https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/what-happens-when-you-stop-drinking-alcohol/ is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. Try to find a group of like-minded individuals who enjoy the same interest that you do. If you like painting, consider joining an art class.

Learning how to make life meaningful is an exercise in self-discovery. We spend so much time looking at external factors, like our jobs, friends, or spouse, for an instant sense of purpose. And while they can eventually be sources of meaning for you, they can’t fulfill that role until you do the Inner Work®.

Resilience

Landau argues that anyone who believes life can be meaningless also assumes the importance of value. In other words, if you think life can be meaningless, then you believe that there is such a thing as value. As such, we can also increase or decrease the value of our lives with practice, effort, how to create meaning in life action, and thought. “I can ruin or build friendships, upgrade or downgrade my health, and practice or neglect my German. It would be surprising if in this particular sphere of value, the meaning of life, things were different from how they are in all the other spheres,” he writes.

• Other researchers found that well-being might be protective for health maintenance.
• I explain each of these and offer some practical steps you can take forward via personal examples, questions to dig deeper, and activities with your VIA strengths.
• Vallerand (2012) found that people who had more harmonious relationships with their passions also had stronger relationships with the people who shared their passions.
• It is difficult to change your personality traits suddenly; however, it is possible to change your thinking patterns by working with a therapist trained in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.

Choose actions that make you feel excited over actions that you’ll dread. Consider starting with something small that you can do each day, then build up to bigger actions over time. Think about how you feel or behave when you’re out of alignment with one of your values. That’s because you’re not showing up as your authentic self. We all have moments or situations in our lives when we’re not our best selves.

Build Purpose for your Character Strengths

But you have to approach it as you would any other important goal—by doing the work. Notice the ways (big or small) that you make a difference. Live life based on the values that are important to you.

On the other hand, if the people around you are negative individuals who drag you down, you might want to make some changes. It’s hard to feel passionate and purposeful when you’re surrounded by people who aren’t interested in making positive contributions. The sixth-century Chinese sage Lao Tzu—who is said to have dictated the Tao Te Ching before escaping civilization for solitude in the mountains—believed the universe supplies our value. Casey Woodling, a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina, proposes in Philosophy Now that the question of meaningfulness itself offers an answer. “What makes a human life have meaning or significance is not the mere living of a life, but reflecting on the living of a life,” he writes. Significance
This is the feeling-oriented level of meaning.