What’s the Meaning of Life?

Photo by me from my archive.

Dear Future Self,

What is the meaning of life?

For me right now, the meaning of life, I suppose, is a mix of being and becoming, it’s being present and open to evolving freely.

The meaning of life, of being alive, seems to be to go beyond what we know.

It’s experiencing what’s here now and to take that experience as something that opens us up for deeper levels of experiencing.

I think this is true for all, something that is independent of a certain belief-system, but please correct me if I’m wrong.

The grass is being and becoming grass, the bird is being and becoming bird, dear reader, you are being and becoming you, I’m being me and becoming myself more fully, with every time I dare to go beyond what I’m used to.

So while this might be true for us all, it is not that I didn’t come to this realization without a way of viewing the world.

Personally, I believe in a greater consciousness. I believe that all that is, is part of that greater consciousness.

I quite liked the description from Eckhart Tolle: “What is, what we see and what we are, is the universe breathing out, constant movement and evolving.”

Evolution in action.

We come out of that greater consciousness, take on a body, and eventually go back to being part of that greater consciousness. Maybe becoming another body, perhaps not.

I believe that we have not really started or ended, that we continuously are and we inter-are, even while in different bodies and forms. None of us can survive independently.

And none of us can understand or put in words the complexity that constitutes our lives (alone), none of us (alone) can reproduce what we have.

None of us is God or the origin, but we’re each a part of it. We together are life, no one of us represents all life, yet we each constitute an essential and important part.

What do you believe in?

Whether we agree on this or not, is not relevant, though, when it comes to answering the question of the meaning of life.

Because we might as well just have this one lifetime, go to heaven or hell after or dissolve into nothingness.

What counts is how we use our lifetime and the meaning we give to the life we have.

I grew up with Christianity as the dominant concept in society, I grew up believing in God, but had my doubts about Christianity.

The concept of heaven and hell never made sense to me. It’s funny how there can be an instant connection with some ideas and not with others.

When I first heard about Buddhism as a teenager and learned that the soul could live on and one could be reborn, there was an instant feeling of: Yes, finally something is making sense.

And Buddhism has always been that way to me. Whatever I read or heard about different concepts in Buddhism, they just made sense, there was, is an immediate feeling of: Yes, right.

But a lot of what is said in Buddhism is also present in other wisdom traditions. Becoming an anthropologist, I studied quite a few.

One concept that I will always remember is that of people living for their dreams. Giving what happens in their dreams the most importance and using the day simply to maintain body and culture to keep on dreaming.

There are so many ways in which we can make sense of this life, yet while these may all be existentially different, they are also just that, concepts.

They all centre around or somehow deal with this body that allows us to be, the mind that makes up stories and the life force that makes both, stories and bodies possible.

So, the meaning of life, as it might make most sense for us to think about while we’re here, or is practically necessary, has to be within that period of time that we are alive in this body.

Life is in our being and becoming, and what we do in this time, while being and becoming, depends on the meaning we give our lives.

So, the meaning we give our lives becomes the meaning of life, for us. And if that meaning is in being and becoming, then the only way to experience life fully is by fully being and becoming.

But how deeply we can be and become, depends on the openness we have towards life and the possibilities we allow ourselves to have.

As I see it, and as many others do too, we have two options:

Number one is what is called a fixed mindset, which means to believe that we are a certain way, things are a certain way and we have to arrange ourselves with these circumstances as good as we can.

What would the meaning of life be in this case? I guess, to learn to accept life as it is and to try to fit in, as much as possible.

To become comfortable with the uncomfortable. I can’t see that as fully being and becoming. I see that as arranging yourself with the limitations.

To me, this feels more like limiting your breath, trying to adjust your breath to the surrounding irregularities, than a life that is part of breathing out and evolving.

It’s quite interesting to think of this in terms of Darwin and his theory of Evolution.

First we thought survival of the fittest meant survival of the strongest, which I suppose is the basic belief of capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy and then, it meant survival of the most well-adjusted.

Which describes the times and places I’ve grown up in most adequately.

Now it seems to be survival of the one who can best adapt to the ever-changing circumstances, the one who is capable of change. Which leads to the second option.

Option number two of viewing life would be to live with a growth mindset, which means believing that we ourselves have the possibility not only to change ourselves, but by changing ourselves to also change our circumstances.

It leads us to a view of the world in which we are powerful and can be creative, forming, growing, learning, experiencing, becoming, expanding.

We become part of the ever evolving out breath.

This is the option under which I work, and live, and why I believe my work to be so important and empowering.

It is what helped me to overcome feeling disempowered, overwhelmed, pessimistic, depressed.

The second I realized that I had the power to decide how I wanted to see the world, that I did not have to participate in the stories I heard around me any more and could just be, be me, I started to live freely and joyfully.

This did not happen in a day, change takes time.

But it can happen in a short period of time. I’ve opened the I AM CREATOR School, as a result, to gently guide you through all the necessary changes.

To overcome old beliefs and stories one has to take the time to look at them, and the more I did, the lighter things became. The same will be true for you.

For the first time I didn’t feel fenced in, blocked, limited any more, like I had to try to fit in, like I had to be a certain way to be accepted, to do or have certain things to be worthy.

I recognized that to be part of the flow of life, the in breath, the out breath, I have to breathe deeply myself, let all armour fall and then just be me.

Life instantly became so overwhelmingly beautiful.

I changed my mindset, overcame and am still constantly overcoming learned limitations and it’s so wonderful to be able to share this with other people and to show them how to do this.

I support people to first build the resilience to cope and feel powerful and hopeful, to adjust to the ever-changing world and then, to even go beyond that, and liberate themselves more and more.

When it comes to fixed vs. growth mindset, as it is with all things, there’s barely anyone who has a pure fixed or growth mindset, people usually operate somewhere in-between these two ends of the spectrum, feeling powerful and able to change in some ways, but not in others.

But many people, including myself, have been brought up with a more fixed mindset.

Which means we were raised to believe that there are things we can achieve or change, but there are others that are beyond our capabilities.

Many of us were brought up with a belief in limitation and might have experienced these limitations first hand.

This may be because of our gender, the colour of our skin, our sexuality, our weight, physical abilities or because we belong to a certain class, tribe, culture or family and so on.

Yet, people of all backgrounds do the impossible and overcome common limitations all the time.

I agree with Henry Ford on this one: “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

The limitations are there, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be overcome.

Yet, often we don’t only think we can’t, we can’t even imagine a life and possibilities beyond those limitations and what we know.

Again, this is why I began to work as a coach, to help people go beyond what they can imagine, to gently guide you to think further and go further than you have experienced — yet.

And this also leads back to the beginning: the question of the meaning of life.

This world has and will always be evolving, with or without our doing.

We can try and struggle to adjust to unforeseeable events, and blame our misfortune on others and the circumstances.

Or we can take our lives into our own hands, become alive, filled with excitement and appreciation for what is and what we are, and use our situation to grow beyond what we thought possible.

When we begin to trust, we don’t have to be afraid, no matter what may change.

The meaning of life is in filling it with experiencing, it is in overcoming thoughts of limitation, it’s in experiencing the present moment as fully as possible, and in letting go of all that blocks us from experiencing and being part of the flow of life.

We are born out of the pure and magical power of life, an evolving out breath.

Growing up, we learn culturally created limitations. Yet, that doesn’t mean we cannot unlearn them again.

We can live life fully or within limitations, it’s our choice. If we need help with it, the help is right here. I can help, and many other people can as well. 

We are giving birth to a new way of being, a more conscious, peaceful, quiet way of being in this world and you are invited to be part of this revolution. One let by our hearts. In love and joy and kindness.

Even if we can’t overcome all limitations, we can always work with what we can reach and go beyond those that we can overcome.

Layer by layer, step by step. No pushing, allowing.

Because we might as well make the best of our lives, just because we can. We really can.

How fully are you living your life, today?

Have a wonderful day,

Love,
Verena

► My Future Self Journal ▼

Why do I write to my future self? ◼︎ ●

Self-Actualizing, personal development, the search for more options, finding out how to actually live our best lives, or simply experiencing growth and change for any reason, might feel weird, scary or uncertain.

Yet impermanence or becoming is something we all share.

I started to write and publish some diary post a while ago, and looking back at them even a month later, I felt like I should rewrite them because my perspective had changed so much.

But that would be like trying to erase the most essential part: the journey.

We don't just arrive at a certain point, we struggle, fight, fall down, run in the wrong direction, come back, stand up, fall again and yet continue.

We laugh, love, enjoy, paint, sing, dance, discuss and find ourselves surprised by the unexpected. With every experience, we spiral up and can dive into deeper levels of experience and understanding if we allow ourselves to do so.

This series is a documentation of a journey into the unknown.

It shows how vulnerability and fear can be present, and welcomed, and not stop us.

It's about admitting mistakes and acknowledging how easily we can be wrong, no matter how mindful, present, in tune and aware we are.

We'll never know until we try.

But most of all it's about celebrating life in all its different forms and shapes, colours and sounds and tastes, in depth and lightness - to witness life's endless beauty and continuous unfolding.

We are all a part of life's magnificence, the question is: How much of it do we allow ourselves to enjoy and experience?

The more we open up and liberate ourselves from what we thought we knew, the more we allow to see things in new ways and the more love we share, the more magical life becomes.

May we open our present with presence and let our future selves continue to experience life wholeheartedly.

May my honesty inspire yours and show you that there is nothing to fear. Everything is working out for the greatest good. ❤️

With lots of love for you and this world,
Verena

Get Your Personal Wheel of Colours

The Wheel of Colours is a traditional tool to help us understand what we need or can share in certain situations.

We are all made up out of the same colours, but they are arranged uniquely in each person – which is why we need or can give different things in different moments.

If you’d like to find out what can support YOU when starting a project, or working with other people, to successfully finish something, to heal, to spark your creativity or what your unique gift is, that you bring to the world, then the Wheel of Colours will help you to see this and yourself more clearly and show you how to use these insights in practical ways.

It will also show you how you can listen to your inner truth and that of others, what your most important lesson is in life and what challenges you might have to overcome.

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In the past, people often only got these insights and realizations towards the end of their lives – but you don’t have to wait until then.

🌈 You have the power to create your reality.

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Clarity - Confidence - Connection

In the CREATRIX School we bring clarity, confidence and connection into every area of our lives - and we look at a different topic each month.

This month is all about community, and thinking about how we can best work and come together with others - so that we can build the world we want to live in together.

It's fun, it's exciting, and it is surely also challenging, as we have to become honest about our wants, needs and desires.

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