Brian Weiner

Life itself has no meaning. Life is an opportunity to create a meaning.

 Which of your personal resources have you deployed in order to facilitate giving your life meaning?

In our finite journey on this remarkable planet, we are afforded more than our share of opportunity to add tremendous value to our existence.

The chance to make a difference. To reach for the stars.

The scale of our efforts are far less consequential than this topic may suggest as the determination as to whether there was meaning in our existence is far more personal than public.

For many, the opportunity to parent and pass on a vast swath of qualities to our children is the core answer to this contemplation. Our ability to take our life experience and nurture our offspring and loved ones with our very best efforts, constitutes the significant response to this consideration.

For others, it is the pursuits that they engage in that drive their inner value and deliver substantive value to their lives having felt well lived. When one pursues that which one is passionate about, the value and meaning to the day to day existence arrives as a result of the satisfaction of continuing to push forward with all that they may conjure.

While others may find value in being of service to those who may require their aid, and who appreciate their devotion and attention.

Unquestionably, as humanity is so diverse, there are countless other categories that deliver similar value and overall appreciation which stems from whatever their life endeavors are populated with.

The greatest tragedy stems from a life lived with minimal purpose and squandered on experiences of low stimulation and rewarding engagements.

I believe that schools should be teaching the importance of using the imagination to conjure those ideas on a regular basis. We were all asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”  Many of us, myself included, gave answers that ultimately were not the life choice that we were desirous of pursuing.

Perhaps some companion questions to ask children at various stages of growing up might be, “what do you think you might enjoy doing every single day as you grow older?” And “If you could learn the most amazing things to allow you to accomplish anything in your lifetime, what would that be?”

As we become mature adults, we are very clear that wealth truly stems from waking up every day feeling grateful that you get to do whatever it is that you are doing with your day, rather than feeling as if you have to do it.

If that is ultimately the barometer by which our own personal wealth and meaning in life is ultimately measured, might it not be a very wise idea to cultivate the seeds of such wealth by asking young people those kinds of thought-provoking questions?

Happy Friday!