A Blueprint For A Meaningful Life?

[IAmPaulQuinn]

I'm 17 years old.

 

I've realized along the way the deep problems of marketing and how it can change cultures in a negative way.

 

This is only exacerbated by the fact that highly POPULAR social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok exists. (Which, don't get me wrong, they are benefits to the existence of this platforms, but they are also HUGE downsides to it as well.)

 

Especially TikTok, where most people have high beauty standards and acts like acquiring an IPhone and expensive nonsense is the best thing in the world. (No hate towards people that likes luxurious things. I like them too, but I'm not spending what I haven't earned, no matter how much marketing power a product or service has on the masses.)

 

No wonder most people at my age are confused and highly distracted on what truly matters.

 

And I don't desire to be confused. I want clarity.

 

Any blueprint? A map? What ideas and activities should one instill in one's life to live a meaningful and fulfilling life? 

 

Please. I need this map. I don't want to be part of the zombies. Haha.

Edited April 4, 2021 by IAmPaulQuinn

[Sahil Pandit]

@IAmPaulQuinn Hats off for starting your journey at the age of 17. It's a good time to start.

I'm 23 and can offer some basic habits you can start to develop that may help you along the way.

1.) Notice how much your environment is influencing the decisions you make, the way you think, the way you behave, etc. 

2.) Develop a daily meditation practice where you can sit in silence for multiple times a day, if possible. 

3.) Start to becoming more mindful of how you spend your time and energy, as well as who it's spent with. 

4.) Audit your information intake. Is it the highest use of your time? If not, how could you use your time better? 

5.) Write down a list of 20 topics you're curious about, and pick one to go "deep" on for the week. Begin doing research on topics that fascinate you!

I hope this helps!

[Megan Alecia]

Find what you like doing and be really good at it. That's the typical template for an archetypal hero anyway. 

[Matt23]

Ask yourself "what's meaningful to me?"  "What can I do that's meaningful?".   But don't only ask it as a cognitive-like question, feel into it.  Ask they question, then feel what your body and heart come up with.  And look into your mind's eye, your imagination, to see the heart-inspired visions of what meaningfulness is pointing towards.  

What is worth wanting to you?

I think it helps to unplug as well.  Maybe go on a solo camping trip out in nature for a while.  

Do things that ''reconnect'' yourself with authenticity, true-self, love, beauty, etc. 

And the ideas don't have to be huge or ginormous.  They don't even necessarily have to bring you to tears.  If you just have a little sense that some idea or value is meaningful to you, and you feel that in your body, then I think that's a good track to move towards.

Here's a quote I heard recently:

• People are running ideologies rather than following what's truly meaningful to them specifically.

I did and do this still with actualized.org content.  Adopting all these values and ideas and behaviors, being sold them and then adopting them (I'm not saying they are bad etc., just that I wasn't going within myself to find what's truly meaningful to me).  Sort of like thinking "Oh!  Enlightenment is good, I have to have it.  And contemplation, yes, that's a good thing.  I have to want it.  Etc."  Instead of finding my own unique path. 

I guess that's a trap with actualized content:  It's, to me, clearly higher consciousness than other content I've seen, and is filled with tons of good stuff.  But that this gets in the way of finding one's own values and desires etc.. 

Edited April 5, 2021 by Matt23

[IAmPaulQuinn]

20 hours ago, Sahil Pandit said:

@IAmPaulQuinn Hats off for starting your journey at the age of 17. It's a good time to start.

I'm 23 and can offer some basic habits you can start to develop that may help you along the way.

1.) Notice how much your environment is influencing the decisions you make, the way you think, the way you behave, etc. 

2.) Develop a daily meditation practice where you can sit in silence for multiple times a day, if possible. 

3.) Start to becoming more mindful of how you spend your time and energy, as well as who it's spent with. 

4.) Audit your information intake. Is it the highest use of your time? If not, how could you use your time better? 

5.) Write down a list of 20 topics you're curious about, and pick one to go "deep" on for the week. Begin doing research on topics that fascinate you!

I hope this helps!

 

Thank you, Sahil. I am very lucky to have you here. I'm definitely a knowledge guy, so number 5 really struck with me.

 

Much love.

[IAmPaulQuinn]

7 hours ago, Megan Alecia said:

Find what you like doing and be really good at it. That's the typical template for an archetypal hero anyway. 

 

As of right now, with limited experience in life as a human being, I am leaning towards researching, learning, sharing and digging deep to find the truth about life. For I think, it seems to be the only thing worth chasing.

 

Thank you, Megan! I really appreciate it.

[IAmPaulQuinn]

6 hours ago, Matt23 said:

Ask yourself "what's meaningful to me?"  "What can I do that's meaningful?".   But don't only ask it as a cognitive-like question, feel into it.  Ask they question, then feel what your body and heart come up with.  And look into your mind's eye, your imagination, to see the heart-inspired visions of what meaningfulness is pointing towards.  

What is worth wanting to you?

I think it helps to unplug as well.  Maybe go on a solo camping trip out in nature for a while.  

Do things that ''reconnect'' yourself with authenticity, true-self, love, beauty, etc. 

And the ideas don't have to be huge or ginormous.  They don't even necessarily have to bring you to tears.  If you just have a little sense that some idea or value is meaningful to you, and you feel that in your body, then I think that's a good track to move towards.

Here's a quote I heard recently:

• People are running ideologies rather than following what's truly meaningful to them specifically.

I did and do this still with actualized.org content.  Adopting all these values and ideas and behaviors, being sold them and then adopting them (I'm not saying they are bad etc., just that I wasn't going within myself to find what's truly meaningful to me).  Sort of like thinking "Oh!  Enlightenment is good, I have to have it.  And contemplation, yes, that's a good thing.  I have to want it.  Etc."  Instead of finding my own unique path. 

I guess that's a trap with actualized content:  It's, to me, clearly higher consciousness than other content I've seen, and is filled with tons of good stuff.  But that this gets in the way of finding one's own values and desires etc.. 

 

I'll definitely use my gut feeling to initiate ideas and activities that sounds fulfilling for me.

 

As a young soul, I still have a lot more learnings to do. But I won't stress about it- for that does nothing. I will simply enjoy the process.

 

Thank you, Matt!