Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is to try a meaning challenge in the next
Speaker 1: two weeks. Consciously build something meaningful into your life, and
Speaker 1: you will probably experience time in an all new way.
Speaker 1: Today's tip, like another this week, comes from Jody Wellman's
Speaker 1: book You Only Die Once. This book, in general, is
Speaker 1: about living more fully given that life inevitably ends. In
Speaker 1: her books, she suggests living more broadly, that is, doing
Speaker 1: more things, but also living more deeply. That's about imbuing
Speaker 1: life with more meaning. Now it is possible that your
Speaker 1: life is already full of meeting you are saving lives
Speaker 1: in a hospital, or saving souls as a pastor or
Speaker 1: something like that. If so amazing, but a lot of
Speaker 1: people's lives do not have that same level of meaning
Speaker 1: structurally built in. If so, it's time to take some
Speaker 1: more active steps to deepen daily existence. Wellman suggests embarking
Speaker 1: on a meaning challenge in the next two weeks. The
Speaker 1: idea is to choose something that feels meaningful to you
Speaker 1: and consciously choose to spend time on it. For instance,
Speaker 1: she suggests you could volunteer over the next two weeks,
Speaker 1: or she writes, it could be planning a challenging task
Speaker 1: with your teenage daughter, like researching your family tree. Maybe
Speaker 1: you tune into an online religious service. Perhaps you map
Speaker 1: out your ideal legacy. You could call an elderly relative
Speaker 1: and make a substantial connection beyond what's going on with
Speaker 1: the weather. Maybe you sit at the coffee shop and
Speaker 1: make a list of the top ten things I value
Speaker 1: in life, really upping the anne on your self awareness.
Speaker 1: You might choose a challenging task that sweeps you up
Speaker 1: into the flow zone. Maybe you sit with a journal
Speaker 1: and write about the impact you've made at home, at work,
Speaker 1: in your community, in ways both big and small. It
Speaker 1: could be seeking out an awe inspiring experience. Wellman notes
Speaker 1: that the point of this meaning challenge is not to
Speaker 1: do one specific thing. She says that there is no
Speaker 1: wrong pathway to meaning. Remember that it's the pursuit of
Speaker 1: purpose that does the mighty job of creating depth in
Speaker 1: this life you get to live. So as the seasons
Speaker 1: change and we start heading toward the reflective end of
Speaker 1: the year, it might help to create a meaning challenge
Speaker 1: for yourself. What could you do in the next two
Speaker 1: weeks to make life feel more meaningful. How could you
Speaker 1: devote time to that pursuit of meaning? Make your arrangements
Speaker 1: and figure out the logistics. I am guessing you will
Speaker 1: make the next few weeks very memorable. Indeed, in the meantime,
Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.