How to find the meaning of life? This one question troubles a lot of people in today's world. Several people try to find the real meaning of their life through their journeys and experiences. However, psychology explains that this question completely prohibits us from uncovering the actual meaning of life. A psychological study was conducted by Psychologist Harris Poll in America about the general happiness among people, and he found that only one-third of his total experimented people feel happy about their life.

In this modern era, we are somehow encouraged to frequently classify our position in the world, and thus, how we feel about being truly happy becomes dull and painful. So, if people want to find the meaning of life, it is important to stop searching for happiness. Because, the problem with searching for happiness automatically leads to the feelings of unhappiness. This was verified in a 2011 psychological study, which was named as “Can seeking happiness make people unhappy? Paradoxical effects of valuing happiness?” The researchers specified that happiness is a key ingredient to explore the meaning of life, but seeking and expecting happiness all the time could be self-defeating because the more people expect happiness, the more likely they will feel disappointed.

When experiences fail to meet expectations, the search for happiness often results in disappointment. Still, there are always some remedies to the hardships. Anyone can easily stop seeking happiness all the time and follow some conventional key factors to find the meaning of life.

1. Control your perceptions and find the meaning of life:

Instead of merely seeking happiness in life, seek the actual meaning of life including the troubles, grief, irritation, and all other sentiments, it becomes more reasonable and natural, and we connect with the bigger picture. Seeing this bigger picture in life gives you various perceptions and now you can decide and control these perceptions while living your life. When you don't seek happiness as a result of all your actions and control your perceptions, it helps you to know that ‘how you feel in one particular moment of your life, doesn't define your entire existence’.

2. Find things bigger than yourself:

Look for things that are bigger than you. In simple words, seek greatness. You don't need to be extremely directed or spiritual to find greatness or superiority. The aspect which is bigger than you can be an extraordinary person, a thing, or an experience, or anything you look up to. Excellency relates to encouraging your sense of self to disappear into a different part of your reality, which you often don't reveal to anyone, and It can be experienced differently by different people. Generally, it is the feeling of connecting with someone greater than you, and this feeling can lead to discovering the meaning of your life.

3. Surround yourself with love to find the meaning of life:

Surround yourself with people that genuinely love you. You can understand that your presence resounds with the people around you. Deep connections with people go beyond actions and sometimes even feelings. By creating these kinds of connections, we are worthy to connect with people outside ourselves and discover the meaning of life beyond what we achieve. While occasionally we might not be able to check our existence against the greater expectations of life, there are directions to convince our sense of self through belonging with our family, loved one, and friends.

4. Create a true purpose in life:

Most people feel like they are waiting to find the actual purpose in life. But the truth is that you won't likely find your purpose from your pay checks and 9 to 5 grind. It is determined by your proficiency to offer joy and create value in other's lives. Your purpose or goal of life should be to discover meaning in things that aren't bound to finite things. Jobs can halt. Relationships can fade away. Money can vanish. What's left when the pillars of your life collapse are your sense of purpose, and no one in this world can take that away from you.

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Reference: 

(www.ideapod.com /www.psychologytoday.com / www.psycnet.apa.org)