How to discover meaning

A transformative exercise for your true purpose.

Photo by Frank McKenna on Unsplash

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“He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how” — Friedrich Nietzsche

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A shower thought struck me like a bolt of lightning, and I couldn’t wash it off.

Just like that, my original plan for this column went down the drain at the last minute Wednesday.

But don’t worry. I’ll definitely wax poetic about my latest step toward financial freedom soon. Today, though, it’s all about you!

If you’re searching for meaning, keep reading — you’re in for a treat.

Get ready to dive into a transformative exercise designed to help you unlock your true purpose.

I was so captivated that I had to hit pause on the mindblowing audiobook that inspired my sudden shift.

The illuminating words I heard made me realize just how vital it is to understand our values. They serve as a compass, guiding us through life’s choices and challenges.

So, I’d like to share a quick values clarification exercise to help you discover what truly matters to you.

Author James M. Satterfield explained it perfectly in his book “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Techniques for Retraining Your Brain.” It’s one of the books I discussed in episode 13 of the Money Talks podcast.

I just happened to be showering when Satterfield presented Lecture 13: Digging Deep and Finding Meaning.

But I’m tackling his 12 1/2-hour audiobook behemoth so you don’t have to. Fortunately, for this exercise, you only need five minutes and a willingness to be honest with yourself.

Ready to give it a shot and find your purpose?

Let’s get started.

First, think about your values — the things that are important to you. They could be beliefs, areas of life, relationships, or anything else you feel deserves your time, attention and resources.

If you need ideas, here’s a list of 58 values to get you started.

After you’ve identified your core values, rate how important they are on a scale of 1-5, with one being the least intense and five being the most intense.

Next, rate how you currently spend your time and resources on each of the values you identified, using the same 1-5 scale.

For your convenience, here’s a basic values clarification worksheet from therapyaid.com.

If you desire a more detailed exercise, check out this version from cerebral.com.

Once you’ve finished rating your values, take a moment to identify the largest discrepancies. These gaps will highlight where you might be misaligned.

“When we’re not devoting time to our values, we feel something is missing,” Satterfield said. “And we lose sources of meaning, positive reinforcement, pleasure and enjoyment.”

Satterfield later outlines five key components to consider as we think about meaning, particularly meaning in our lives following a trauma or a negative event.

💸 Perspective: We must acknowledge that life is precious and will someday end.

💸 Prioritization: We must maximize precious moments, but identifying what truly matters requires us to think. Our values also change as life progresses.

💸 Preparation: We must plan ahead and be ready for changes, especially later in life.

💸 Practice: We must give effort to find meaning, and that effort is best devoted to a daily practice such as meditation.

💸 Presence: We must live in the present and appreciate the things around us to truly hold onto the meaning of life

Before I stumbled upon Satterfield’s work, I developed a similar exercise. Mine centers on two essential questions: What are you doing? And who are you doing it for?

These questions prompted deep reflection on my motivations and priorities, revealing areas where I needed realignment.

That’s why Lecture 13 resonated with me so profoundly — it affirmed the changes I had already made and reinforced my commitment to living with greater purpose.

I hope this column inspires you to embrace your own journey toward clarity and purpose. What changes will you make to align your life with your values?