I strongly believe that every piece of art, still or performing, comes into your life at the right time, when you need to experience it the most. This post felt like that. Lovely read.
I also remind myself that I am an eternal, infinite being who chose this life and this reality. It is mine, and mine alone. I am the creator of my experience, which means I am responsible not for everything that happens, but for how I choose to meet it and how I choose to learn the lessons I came here to learn.
Sometimes one choice leads to a better one, which opens a door I never could have anticipated. Looking back, what once felt like detours often become the very path.
So I try to move with active curiosity rather than clinging to certainty or resisting change. I let go of expectations, especially those imposed by others, and listen instead for what genuinely calls to me.
The hardest part is accepting that not everyone will understand. They may wonder why you change direction, follow your intuition, or take an unconventional path. But over time, you begin to trust your own inner authority. You realise that no one else is meant to author your life.
And once you truly step into that authorship, there is a quiet kind of freedom. You stop waiting for permission, stop fearing the wrong path, and start creating your life from the inside out. That is when you begin to feel unstoppable.
So much of adulthood feels like learning how to keep yourself occupied, when maybe the real task is learning how to bring yourself back into the life already in front of you.
My two cents: Creativity clearly matters, but the deepest kind of well‑being usually goes beyond expressing ourselves.
Eudaimonic well‑being suggests that fulfillment comes not just from being true to who we are, but also from serving others, showing compassion, and contributing to the common good. Research and theory both point to the same idea- we feel better when our goals include helping other people, instead of only chasing personal achievements.
By tying personal satisfaction to something bigger than ourselves gives meaning greater depth and power.
This is such a powerful reframing of what it means to actually feel alive. The idea that fulfillment comes not from finding the perfect life, but from continually bringing more of ourselves into the life we already have, really stayed with me. And that Gardner passage at the end? Absolutely beautiful.
Wonderful read! Regarding Frankl's question of why people didn't kill themselves, he was trying to shift their perspective away from their internal suffering, and toward the external: responsibilities, tasks, other people. In short, self-transcendence. In this way, I would think your second teacher would feel a powerful responsibility to her students, therefore duty-bound to give all her work and excellence to something important.
When you say "Meaning comes less from how much you experience than from how much of yourself you bring into experience." I worry about how this perspective may lead to an overly internal focus. Our experiences depend on things outside ourselves, mother child, and tasks included, but this is a good thing! I'm not convinced that chasing a state of heightened motivation and imposing my internal self upon the world is as fulfilling as the responsibilities I have to the world.
Frankl loved to quote the following from Nietzsche: "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." Thank you for such a wonderful post! So much to think about!
ironically, this piece itself is an example of what it's advocating. It isn't just offering productivity advice or another happiness framework, it's inviting the reader to relate differently to ordinary life. that's a much rarer thing
Thought provoking piece. For me, creativity is a kind of endless well of meaning I find myself drawn to that I can in turn draw from. It’s where I find that active relationship towards the world. There’s a reason for me to live on because of that.
I could not finish this article without wanting to restack every other line. I have never felt so seen and also given answers to what one begins to experience at the start of adulthood, with no habitual tasks giving you a routine. Definitely worth rereading this every year for a reminder.
I strongly believe that every piece of art, still or performing, comes into your life at the right time, when you need to experience it the most. This post felt like that. Lovely read.
Very “Myth of Sisyphus” of you Mr Camus!
I like this - it resonates.
I also remind myself that I am an eternal, infinite being who chose this life and this reality. It is mine, and mine alone. I am the creator of my experience, which means I am responsible not for everything that happens, but for how I choose to meet it and how I choose to learn the lessons I came here to learn.
Sometimes one choice leads to a better one, which opens a door I never could have anticipated. Looking back, what once felt like detours often become the very path.
So I try to move with active curiosity rather than clinging to certainty or resisting change. I let go of expectations, especially those imposed by others, and listen instead for what genuinely calls to me.
The hardest part is accepting that not everyone will understand. They may wonder why you change direction, follow your intuition, or take an unconventional path. But over time, you begin to trust your own inner authority. You realise that no one else is meant to author your life.
And once you truly step into that authorship, there is a quiet kind of freedom. You stop waiting for permission, stop fearing the wrong path, and start creating your life from the inside out. That is when you begin to feel unstoppable.
So much of adulthood feels like learning how to keep yourself occupied, when maybe the real task is learning how to bring yourself back into the life already in front of you.
My two cents: Creativity clearly matters, but the deepest kind of well‑being usually goes beyond expressing ourselves.
Eudaimonic well‑being suggests that fulfillment comes not just from being true to who we are, but also from serving others, showing compassion, and contributing to the common good. Research and theory both point to the same idea- we feel better when our goals include helping other people, instead of only chasing personal achievements.
By tying personal satisfaction to something bigger than ourselves gives meaning greater depth and power.
I just needed to read this today. Couldn’t keep the phone down once I started reading your article. Loved every bit of it!!
This is such a powerful reframing of what it means to actually feel alive. The idea that fulfillment comes not from finding the perfect life, but from continually bringing more of ourselves into the life we already have, really stayed with me. And that Gardner passage at the end? Absolutely beautiful.
What are the other 3 ways to cultivate aliveness, creative expression aside?
Wonderful read! Regarding Frankl's question of why people didn't kill themselves, he was trying to shift their perspective away from their internal suffering, and toward the external: responsibilities, tasks, other people. In short, self-transcendence. In this way, I would think your second teacher would feel a powerful responsibility to her students, therefore duty-bound to give all her work and excellence to something important.
When you say "Meaning comes less from how much you experience than from how much of yourself you bring into experience." I worry about how this perspective may lead to an overly internal focus. Our experiences depend on things outside ourselves, mother child, and tasks included, but this is a good thing! I'm not convinced that chasing a state of heightened motivation and imposing my internal self upon the world is as fulfilling as the responsibilities I have to the world.
Frankl loved to quote the following from Nietzsche: "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." Thank you for such a wonderful post! So much to think about!
So basically life should feel like the best tv show ever ! Many different seasons with lots of a plot lines, characters, and arcs.
Well, first of all, good morning
Halfway through and already I really like this. Thank you for writing!
ironically, this piece itself is an example of what it's advocating. It isn't just offering productivity advice or another happiness framework, it's inviting the reader to relate differently to ordinary life. that's a much rarer thing
Loved this🤍 So deep and profound I was drawn to every singer word. You write beautifully and I loved the way you ended it🌹
Thought provoking piece. For me, creativity is a kind of endless well of meaning I find myself drawn to that I can in turn draw from. It’s where I find that active relationship towards the world. There’s a reason for me to live on because of that.
I could not finish this article without wanting to restack every other line. I have never felt so seen and also given answers to what one begins to experience at the start of adulthood, with no habitual tasks giving you a routine. Definitely worth rereading this every year for a reminder.