What does it take to have a meaningful life and lifestyle? Each one of us has a different interpretation to this question. What might be meaningful for you may not be for me. I believe it is all about living a life that brings you joy and a wonderful sense of contentment and satisfaction with who you are. My life has had many challenges but don't we all have challenges! It isn't about the challenges or difficulties that we face but rather how we deal with adversity that sets us apart and defines our character and personality.

Our lives take on meaning when we have a purpose for living, a reason for being alive. Research has shown that those who have a sense of purpose usually enjoy their life more and with less sickness and dis-ease of their mind, body and spirit.

There is no secret formula to purpose and meaning for your life. It is highly individualized and absolutely depends on what you put into your life and how you choose to live it. Life is a journey into the unknown! It requires starting out taking baby steps one day at a time, very much like a newborn. We learn by exploring our surroundings, finding our voice and gaining strength and momentum until we are confortable with ourselves and begin to gain in confidence and self-worth. It is all about gaining a deeper appreciation into our values and positive self-image as well as a better understanding of ourselves. It is a self-discovery in a relationship with self as you become your own relationship expert.

I do not believe there is one magical pill that will set you on the right path; however, I can say for sure that if you want to experience and enjoy a happy and fulfilling life, you must learn to discover and build upon a healthy relationship with yourself. Self-improvement is impossible without self-awareness! Everything in life involves relationships, whether it is with your partner, your children, your job, career or your health and happiness. As your own relationship expert, you begin to understand that the relationship you have with yourself is paramount to living a content and meaningful life. It doesn't matter if you are a single individual or have a partner in your life; each one of us needs to feel fulfilled within our heart and soul by ourselves before we can truly enjoy a fulfilling relationship with another. Many times we are aware of our insecurities or unworthiness or guilty feelings but to truly know yourself and love all of you in spite of your shortcomings is power. To live a truly meaningful life means that you are aware of the many aspects that make you 'You' and that you value and respect who you are and all that you have become. Human beings are complex and diverse and that is wonderful; however, when we develop a better understanding of ourselves, we are better prepared to enjoy a meaningful life.

Many people don't actually live their lives; they exist in life! By that I mean, they are running all the time trying to keep up in order to survive; they are only going through the motion of life. They are in a daze just trying to stay alive. When you actually live your life on purpose daily, you bring meaning to the little moments of life and what used to be mundane activity could actually be quite satisfying and fulfilling. For example, instead of rushing to the market to purchase your lunch or dinner, you could slow down and observe some of your surroundings. Are the flowers blooming; is the air fresh or stale, is the day sunny and bright or rainy and dreary? Possibly taking a lunch break outdoors and in nature is a way to calm down your mind and nurture your soul. Tune into your senses and spice up your life. Yes, we all have a busy schedule and the clock keeps ticking, however, when you are willing to take a meaningful break or create a change in environment even for a half hour, your physiology shifts, your mind relaxes and you move into an improved state of balance and self-awareness.

This is how you begin to cultivate a meaningful life, one moment at a time. As you begin to appreciate your environment and where and how you work, live and play, life takes on a whole new scenario, which possibly might also lead you to use your imagination to move in another direction. Self-awareness allows you to be present in the moment, to breathe and use your creativity as you are performing your daily tasks consciously. I recently discovered that as I was consciously living and enjoying my present moments, I was feeling more grateful and appreciative of who I am and who I have become. Gratitude has the distinct ability to turn anxiety and impatience into something that is more than enough.

Possibly you need to simplify your life in order to reduce your stress. Making life more manageable requires you to be honest with yourself. If your life isn't functioning, work on finding out why. Sometimes it is helpful to write out on a ledger pad the things you like about your life and those things that cause you stress and unhappiness. I have found that when I face straight on the things that cause me stress, I am better able to find an alternative solution and possibly an easier way to manage my life more effectively.

Pay attention to your feelings, your attitude and your behavior. Is your environment pleasant or disruptive? Is your life full of confusion and complicated or is it flowing and manageable? Are your emotions taking control of your life, that is, your frustration, anger, resentment and unfulfillment or are you feeling happy, satisfied and in command of your daily activities? Self-awareness will help you pay attention to your relationship with self and others. Self-awareness is conscious awareness of where you are placing your thoughts, of how you are feeling and how you react to others and situations that are placed in front of you.

When you are conscious of your life and the world around you, you are better prepared to bring meaning into your life, one thought at a time, one experience at a time and one person at a time. It's time for you to become your own relationship expert for your personal life. I will guarantee that it will improve your life in many areas and it will reduce stress as you begin to move away from the negative emotions that have been controlling your life.

If you are not satisfied with the way your life is moving, take a step back and tell yourself that you are ready to get started on a new journey towards self discovery.

Author's Bio: 

Joan Marie is an accomplished Medical Intuitive, and Business Intuitive and is the founder and President of Joan Marie Companies. She is fast becoming the World’s leading authority on the teachings of Intuition and how to make your Intuition work for you in your life. She is famous for her uncanny details as a Medical Intuitive. People seek out her skill at being able to scan your body in search of clues for the disconnect as she sees the emotional link between the disease or situations happening in your over all health. Joan Marie has teamed up with Doctors from all over the world to consult with their patients to help resolve their medical problems. Many doctors refer their clients and encourage them to work with Joan Marie because they too realize that many medical problems are emotional based. She is also a medium and can communicate and deliver messages from loved ones from the other side. Joan Marie’s life mission is to not only awaken you to your true life’s purpose but to also assist you at the core of your soul with healing any emotional problems that are continually coming up in your daily life. Through her special talents and gifts Joan Marie can share with you the exact age when your problem began as she works with you to bring you specific tools to help you heal your soul and emotions.