In previous articles we have explored the following Exercises and Experiments to help you Discover and/or Design the Meaning and Purpose of Life:
#1 Future Self Experiment
#2 - Be the Creator Experiment
#3 - Be the Writer, Director and Actor
Now we are going to take a trip down the memory lane in order to uncover the Meaning and Purpose of your Life through your childhood eyes and experiences at the time.
This exercise in based on the premise that when we were children up until the ages of 7 or 10 we had a sort of innocence, naturalness, genuineness, authenticity and simplicity about us.
In other words the cultural programming of our childhood surroundings: the mindsets, paradigms, beliefs, values , rules and so on haven't yet fully taken over ourselves. We haven't yet fully emulated and began to unconsciously identify ourselves with the cultural programming in which we happened to grew up.
What do I mean by cultural programming? Well if you were to have been born in a Jewish family for instance you would have a different set of Beliefs, Values, Principles , a different sense of morality about what is Good - Bad, Right-Wrong that if you would have been born in an Atheistic / Catholic, Muslim / .... family and/or community.
If you're reading this you have probably done some introspection work with yourself and are looking for some answers about:
What you were meant to do on this Earth?
What is your Purpose here?
Why are you here?
What is the meaning of life?
What should you do?
What kind of Profession / Activity / Career should you choose? and so on...
The funny thing is that you might already have some these answers inside you.
Now grab a piece of paper and a pen, get comfortable and alone time , listen to some relaxing music and try to remember:
How were you as a child?
How was life like back then in the early ears of your life?
What were you passionate and enthusiastic about? Why were you passionate about it?
What got you turned on?
What did you loved and enjoyed doing? Why? What was special about that?
What set you apart from other children? Why?
What kind of activity or activities did you found to be easy and enjoyable for you while other kids found them to be hard or boring?
About what were mostly complemented and got positive feedback from others?
What were you most fascinated about? Why were you fascinated about it?
When / doing what did you had a sense that you lost track of time?
How did other used to describe you? What qualities, attributes did they liked about you?
How did you described yourself? What qualities, attributes did you most liked about yourself?
What were you interested, delighted about? Why? What was interesting about it?
What were your hobbies?
Where did you loved spending time? Why did you liked those places?
With whom did you loved to spend time? Why? What qualities, traits did you liked about them?
Who were you back them? How did you identified your self? What words did you used to label yourself? Why?
Who did you admired? Why? What qualities, attributes did you liked about them?
Who did you wanted to be like? Why? What fascinated you about that?
What meant for you to be alive back then?
Why did you enjoyed to wake up in the morning?
For what Purpose, Reasons did you do what you did?
What else is there about your childhood that stands out, empowers you , makes you feel that life has meaning and is worth living?
Quite a lot of questions. Depending how busy you are and how stressed you mind is , it might take a few sessions for you figure them out. Given what is at stake the time and effort might be worth investing!
