What Is the Meaning of Life?

A few days ago, I was discussing this with a client. It was a deep, meaningful conversation, so I thought I would bring it here as well.

Of course, there are as many answers to this question as there are people.

An old colleague and friend of mine, Marci Lépes, who unfortunately is no longer with us, might have answered: 42, because Douglas Adams’ novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was one of his favourites.

But let’s return to our conversation. My client, who was over 40 when she had her child, said that the meaning of her life is her little daughter. She then asked me if my sons are the same for me.

After a brief pause, I replied that, of course, my children are very important to me, and I am grateful that they exist, as I longed for them deeply. However, I do not feel that the meaning of my life is only that I gave birth to three individuals with their own distinct personalities. To me, that is a natural matter—nothing extraordinary.
I consider the meaning of life to be something far more lasting, something that centuries, or even thousands of years from now, will still be associated with my name, when perhaps not even a single descendant of mine will be alive.

These could be my paintings—I hope that at least one of them will have such a lasting impact.

Or perhaps my Colourful Moods cards, through which I indirectly help improve the lives of many people via the professionals who use them.

Or maybe the artist-coaching method I developed, which could, hundreds of years from now, enable helping professionals to support their clients as effectively as I do today.

It could also be something I do not yet even dare to dream about.

I am curious: have you ever thought about what the meaning of your life is? I would be grateful if you shared it with me.

And here, in the present, our task is, do you know what it is?
To capture and feel the mood! To be fully present! Perhaps this is the most important thing.

But before I explore this from a more practical, hands-on perspective, I want to share a short excerpt from the book Nothing:

“Mr Eskildsen greeted us with the same joke as every year: ‘Children, enjoy today! Without school, there would be no holidays.’ We laughed. Not at the joke itself, but at the fact that he hadn’t missed it this year either. At that moment, Pierre Anthon stood up. ‘Nothing has any meaning, I’ve known that for a long time,’ he announced. ‘That’s why nothing is worth doing. That’s what I just realised.’ Then he calmly bowed, packed his things that he had taken out of his bag not long before, nodded indifferently to us in farewell, and left without closing the door behind him. The door grinned. I had never seen anything like it before. The door seemed like a big laughing mouth that would swallow me if I dared to follow Pierre Anthon.”

This is the opening scene of the remarkable novel by Danish author Janne Teller, in which eighth-grade Pierre Anthon quits school, climbs to the top of a plum tree, and throws things at, mocks, and teases his classmates, who still want to be somebody. The children decide to prove to Pierre that life indeed has meaning.

OK! But what is the meaning?

For several years, even decades, we have been taught—and we teach our children—that we can become anything we want. There are countless choices available to us, whether regarding our education or entering the labour market.

It is rare for someone to retire from their first job 30–40 years later, as, for example, my mother did. More typically, frequent changes occur: most young employees do not stay at a job for more than two or three years. After a few years, they switch again—often not just the workplace, but also their role, profession, or vocation. Many realise in their mid-twenties that they do not want to continue in what they are currently doing or what they have trained for. Some start completely new courses or careers in their thirties or forties.

I belong to this group: I was 42 when I resigned, and not long before that, at 36, I first dared to openly acknowledge to my wider circle what I truly wanted to do—what my big dream really was.

Have you ever experienced such a major change, shift, or coming-out in your life? If so, when, and what did you change?

But this situation raises another challenge: the abundance problem.
Among so many possibilities, it is easy to become lost. Often, the real question is not which option to choose among the thousands offered, but rather: which one is MY path? Which path, career, or life course is truly mine?

In other words: What is my life’s purpose? Why am I living on this planet called Earth? What is the meaning of my life?

This is a big challenge, and it is worth approaching step by step to find the answer. Solution-focused work and artist-coaching can help with this.

And one more tip! If you focus not on yourself but on those you wish to serve, you will not only discover your true goals more quickly, but you will also gain a clearer sense of who you are and what you truly desire. In fact, you will feel better, too!
I speak from experience: since I have broken free from the world of spreadsheets and numbers and started focusing on people and my mission, I have been much happier and more balanced!

Would you like to know which questions to ask yourself, so that by answering them, you are guaranteed to move closer to your life’s purpose?