5 Powerful Insights to Help You Live a More Purposeful & Meaningful Life

As a writer, I take pride in knowing that something I wrote impacted someone positively. I often reflect on what it means to live a meaningful life.

When I worked in corporate, I always wondered if the company I was working for was creating a meaningful impact. Whether building a product that helps people find an apartment or buying flowers for a loved one, I longed to make a meaningful impact.

We don’t realize what makes our lives meaningful until we stop and think about it. Is it tied to our work alone? Luckily, we don’t have to wait till the end of our lives to understand life’s meaning. What if we can design it how we want it to be, a life filled with purpose, rich connections, and lasting impact?

My search for answers led me to books exploring how to live a meaningful life. One such book is Robin Sharma’s Who Will Cry When You Die? In his bestselling book, author Robin shares wisdom on the changes we need to make our lives more purposeful. In this post, I want to share a few that resonate the most:

1. Discover Your Calling

We can easily put a person on the moon, but we have trouble walking across the street to meet a new neighbor. We have lost sight of what matters most to us, says Robin. He asked a few questions that stuck with me: Who will cry when you die? How many lives will you touch while you have the privilege to walk on the planet? 

As I reflect on this question, I realize the people affected by me are the ones I truly touched and made a difference. It’s my closest friends and family.

Have you ever been impacted by someone you never met?

When actor Robin Williams died, I was sad. His work impacted me in ways I didn’t know. So when I heard about his death and how he died, I couldn’t stop crying. He had made me laugh in so many movies and brightened my days.

How do we make such a meaningful impact in others’ lives like Robin Williams? Robin says by finding our calling. It doesn’t mean we have to quit our jobs. We need to be fully present in whatever we choose to do.

We are all here for some unique purpose, some noble objective that will allow us to manifest our highest human potential while we, at the same time, add value to the lives around us. – Robin Sharma

2. Shift Your Perspective

To live a happier life, we should keep shifting our perspective whenever we face a difficult situation, says Robin. We can ask ourselves, ‘Is there a wiser, more enlightened way of looking at this negative situation?’

‘Are the problems you have experienced or the challenges you might be facing as serious as you made them out to be?’. 

The concept of shifting perspective helped me many times in my life. Whenever someone says something unkind or acts hurtfully, I look for ways to shift my perspective.

‘Maybe they were having a bad day?’

Whatever the reason, shifting the perspective helps us not to be burdened by that situation. It can save time and energy spent on ruminating on a challenging problem.

We walk this planet for such a short time. In the overall scheme of things, our lives are mere blips on the canvas of eternity, So have the wisdom to enjoy the journey and savor the process – Robin Sharma

3. Practice Self-Discipline

By being more tough on ourselves and practicing self-discipline, we can live the life we want, says Robin. I find that without practicing some restraint, it is hard to achieve our goals and dreams in our life. Our environment is full of distractions that don’t benefit us.

To be productive, I avoid TV; to stay healthy, I choose to work out more days a week; To have balance, I meditate.

These are the disciplined choices I regularly make to live the life I want. But without it, it is easy to cave into the extra Netflix episode or resort to instant food delivery.

The quality of your life is ultimately shaped by the quality of your choices and decisions, ones that range from the career you choose to pursue to the books you read, the time that you wake up every morning, and the thoughts you think during the hours of your days. – Robin Sharma

4. Stop Thinking Limited Thoughts

“Too many of us die at twenty and are buried at eighty.” Says Robin. Can you read that again?

It’s about how many of us stop living and trying because of our limited thoughts. Many people I come across view themselves from the perspective of others.

They base their thoughts on what they heard growing up, their friends, or past relationships. The problem begins when we start to believe these things without questioning them. 

‘Maybe you shouldn’t take on such demanding jobs’. 

Someone close to me has once said this. That person meant well, of course, but those words don’t help how I view myself. So, I refused to believe them. 

Can you think of such statements that are limiting? What if you stop believing these thoughts that prevent you from dreaming big?

According to Robin, if you are not pursuing your dreams, you are fueling your limitations.

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that they are difficult. – Seneca

5. Live Fully So You Can Die Happy

Robin suggests that many people spend their lives chasing things that make them happy. But happiness isn’t a destination. It’s a state you create.

It’s nice to own things that make us happy and chase accolades that provide validation. But instead of waiting to be satisfied until we have everything, can we find happiness in things we have along the way? Can we find happiness in our work, relationships, and simple pleasures?

Happiness and a life of deep fulfillment come when you commit yourself, from the very core of your soul to spending your highest human talents on a purpose that makes a difference in other’s lives. When all the clutter is stripped away from your life, its true meaning will become clear: to live for something more than yourself. Stated simply, the purpose of life is a life of purpose. – Robin Sharma

Being Intentional with Life

Who Will Cry When You Die helped me be more intentional with my life and make choices that align with the person I want to be.

Robin Sharma shares 101 ways to make our lives more impactful and meaningful in his book. It has many more insightful things like relying on silence, journaling, meditating, incredible books, etc, to transform our lives. If you read the book, I’d love to hear what resonates the most with you.