In Edition 89 of the newsletter, I introduced you to the six senses that Dan Pink predicts will increasingly guide and shape our lives.
To refresh your memory, the six senses that he details in his book “A whole new mind: why right brainers will rule the future” are:
Design
Story
Symphony
Empathy
Play
Meaning
This final edition of my newsletter on the “Whole Mind” series is focused on meaning.
According to Daniel Pink, we have the perfect storm of circumstances that is making the search for meaning an essential aptitude for the Conceptual Age.
When our material needs are taken care of, we naturally turn to the search for meaning and self-actualisation. Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy? We are also living longer which is driving our soul searching and revaluation of priorities. I talked about this in detail in my newsletter on nurturing your intangible assets to get the most out of a hundred year life.
Robert Fogel, a Nobel laureate economist calls this moment the “Fourth Great Awakening.”
“Spiritual (or immaterial) inequity is now as great a problem as material inequity, perhaps even greater. People have enough to live, but nothing to live for; they have the means but no meaning.”
Robert Inglehart, a political scientist, administers the World Values Survey in which he has noticed the uptick in concerns for spiritual and immaterial matters leading him to conclude that the advanced world is in the midst of a slow change in its operating principles from “Materialist” values (emphasising economic and physical security above all) toward “Postmaterialist” priorities (emphasizing self-expression and the quality of life).
Given the above, Pink suggests two big ways in which we can begin our search for meaning: by taking spirituality seriously and by taking happiness seriously.
“I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we are all seeking something better in life. So I think the very motion of our life is towards happiness.” The Dalai Lama
Taking spirituality seriously
While highly controversial, many scientific studies at Duke University, Johns Hopkins and others have found that “some of the maladies of modern life - stress, heart disease and so on - can be allayed by attending to the spirit.” Attending religious service cut people’s risk of death from heart disease, suicide, and some cancers. Belief in a higher purpose can buffer some heart diseases. There is a clear trend in medicine to treat each patient as a whole person rather than just a receptacle for an illness. For example, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee in the UK is a huge proponent of this.
In the corporate world, this trend is reflected in the rise in search for purpose and why it matters now. And as consumer values increasingly reflect the desire for these qualities, companies will have to sit up and take notice.
You’re not going to find the meaning of life hidden under a rock written by someone else. You’ll only find it by giving meaning to life from inside yourself.” Dr. Robert Firestone, author and psychotherapist
Taking happiness seriously
Research by Dr. Martin Seligman (professor at the University of Pennsylvania) on happiness shows that these things can contribute positively:
Engaging in satisfying work
Avoiding negative events and emotions
Being married
Having a rich social network
And guess what doesn’t matter much according to the study?
Making more money
Getting lots of education
Living in a pleasant climate
Finally, Daniel Pink suggest numerous ways in which we can develop more meaning in our lives.
Say Thanks.
Have you ever done a gratitude visit? Choose a person in your life who has done so much for you but you have not had the opportunity to properly thank. Write them a detailed “gratitude letter”. Then visit them and read it out in person. This will be transformational for both of you and your relationship. Every year on your birthday, write down all the things you are grateful for. Number them by your age so the list grows every year. 47 things you are super grateful for on your 47th birthday, 48 things on your 48th birthday etc. Keep this list carefully and as you get older, you won’t forget how incredibly lucky you have been with the passage of time.
Weave gratitude into your daily routine. Whether it is journaling first thing in the morning, saying thanks while having your cup of tea or a few thoughts before going to bed, this daily practice can have a huge impact on your wellbeing. You can revisit my newsletter on Gratitude for more ideas.
Take the 20-10 Test.
Jim Collins encourages you to take this test: if you had $20 million in the bank and only 10 years to live, how would you spend your days? Would you quit your job? Do something different? The answers may be illuminating and clarifying.
But Out.
This is a fun exercise to remove the obstacles to make your life meaningful. Write down changes you want to make in your life and what’s getting in the way.
Then go back and change the word “but” with the word “and”.
I’d like to eat better, but I’m surrounded at work by sugary snacks.
I’d like to eat better and so I need to pack my own supply of more healthful snacks to reduce my temptation to eat the bad stuff.
Take a Sabbath.
Can one day in your week be the day you switch off and dedicate to “non-productive” activities? More rest and reflection to rejuvenate for the day ahead? Digital detox?
Check your time.
Make a list of what is most important to you. Then do an audit of how your are actually spending your days. Do the two match up? This is a great way to keep your life priorities on track.
Dedicate your work.
Why should dedications only be for authors and songwriters? How about dedicating your next presentation, your next sales call, your next report to somebody who matters a lot to you or who perhaps helped you get where you are. This is a simple way of infusing more meaning and purpose.
Picture yourself at Ninety.
Have you put yourself in the mind of ninety-year old you? What does life look like from that vantage point? What have you accomplished? What have you contributed? Whose lives have you made better? Have you left your mark? What are your regrets? This is not an easy exercise but one that can identify opportunities to help fill more meaning into your current life.
Over to you now:
How much does a life filled with meaning mean to you?
What changes might you make to infuse more meaning into your every day?
Which exercise to add more meaning are you most excited to try?