The meaning of life in Life Therapy Education (LTE) is fourfold. Life is a condition, a time period, a narrative, and an animating force. This blog post defines the meaning of the words condition, time period, narrative, and animating force of life. Understanding the fourfold meaning of life helps you better understand the meaning of your life and live it to the fullest.
Life is a Condition in Life Therapy Education (LTE)
In Life Therapy Education, the meaning of life is a condition. It’s the condition of being alive. Wonder of wonders! Mystery of mysteries! You are alive rather than not! Take in that profound mystery and be wondered by it!
At this time in history, in this place, you are living your life, and you are not alone. You are alive and connected with all other living beings.
Your Condition Varies
Your condition of being alive varies from day to day. Some days you feel alive, and some days you don’t. It’s normal for your condition to vary daily, especially if you’ve had hurtful experiences that have wounded you. Regardless of how alive you feel each day, you are alive, and you are not alone. You are alive with all living beings!
You are alive because your parents gave you life and brought you into this world. Before your parents, every one of your ancestors contributed to you being alive. Besides your parents and ancestors, literally everything that preceded your birth made your birth necessary. And you’re still alive because everything that preceded this moment has kept you alive.
You are More Than Rare
You are one of a kind. Like a meteor, you only happen once. You are a unique, once-in-forever, here-and-gone human being of inestimable worth! Your life is too wonderful to take for granted. Therefore, never again assume that your life or anyone else’s is granted—human or otherwise.
Be wondered by this mere fact: you are alive, and you are not alone!
Life is a Time Period
In Life Therapy Education, life is the time period from your birth and first breath to your last breath and death. You’re living that time now, and are moving through the phases of life: birth, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, senescence, and death.
You don’t know how much time you have. No one does. You could die any moment. Not knowing how much time you have means you have no time to waste. Every moment matters. Your lifetime is far too valuable to waste.
Have the Time of Your Life
We all need you to have the time of your life and use your time well. Use your time to live the life only you can. We all need you to live the best life you can.
Living your best life involves knowing the life-affirming desires of your heart and realizing your dream and joy. When you do that, you live the time of your life and make the whole world more wonderful!
Life as a Narrative
Your life is also a narrative. It’s the story you create between your birth and death. It’s represented by the dash between your birth and death dates.
You only get one chance to live your life. No script came for you to follow. You had no rehearsal. You never know what a day will bring. Your only option is to improvise the story of your life.
We’re All Improvizing as We Go
We’re all making up our life-stories as we go. As you improvise your life you are creating your self. Your self is not something inside you. Neither is it something you find. Your self is the story you are creating as you live each day of your life.
You have no self apart from your life-story. When you know your life story, you know your self. However, if you suffer from amnesia and can’t remember your life story, you don’t know who you are. Likewise, when others know your life story, they know your self. When they forget your story, they forget who you are.
As the creator of your improvised life story, you are the main character. All others play secondary or lesser roles. Some support you. Others oppose you. Still others are just part of the scenes you’re in. And all are necessary.
Your Heart Guides You
Even though you’re improvising your life story, you have guidance. The guidance is inside you. The life-affirming desires of your heart guide you. They guide you in fulfilling the purpose of your unique life.
The purpose of your life is to realize your dream and joy. Let nothing stop you from knowing the life-affirming desires of your heart and realizing your dream and joy. That’s what you’re here to do. We all need you to do that! When you fulfill the life-affirming desires of your heart and realize your dream and joy, you make the whole world more wonderful!
Life is an Animating Force
Lastly, life is an animating force. You have the force of life in you. The life in you is a natural, animating force that makes and keeps you alive. Ancient Greeks called this natural, life-giving force thumos. Romans translated that into Latin as spiritus. In English, it’s called spirit. It’s what makes and keeps everything alive.
Because you are spirited, you are alive. You are alive for a limited time. And you are creating your life story and self as you go. Know this about your human spirit:
It’s what makes and keeps you alive. It’s also the source of your natural inherent aspirations toward life, health, and the happiness of realizing your dream and joy.
Its instincts drive you to do what keeps you alive: eat, drink, work, stay safe, rest, and sleep.
Emotions are up-stirrings of your human spirit. Its emotions inform you about what you are experiencing and fuel your responses.
For example, fear informs you that you’re unsafe and fuels your response to keep yourself safe. Anger informs you that you’ve been wronged and fuels your response to set things straight. Sadness informs you of an undesired loss and fuels your response to withdraw and grieve.
Your Human Spirit
Your human spirit is your wise inner guardian and guide. It’s the source of your wordless inner-knowing. When you heed it, you feel happy, and you regret it when you ignore it.
Your human spirit is also the seat of your character. Influenced by your ancestors and others, your character might be sweet, kind, cold, happy, melancholic, bold, fierce, or otherwise.
Wonder of wonders! Mystery of mysteries! You are spirited! You are alive and improvising your life story for a limited time. And you are a once-in-forever, here-and-gone human being of inestimable worth. We all need you to realize your dream and joy and make the whole world more wonderful!
Are You Ready to Realize The Fourfold Meaning of Your Life?
If you are ready, click HERE and schedule your FREE 30-Minute Initial Consult with me. I look forward to helping you fulfill the meaning of your life!