The Road Map: The Importance Of Having A Life Project
A common interpretation of happiness is one that is made in terms of positive emotions and optimism. There is a general mental image that happiness depends on how present pleasure is and how absent negative emotions are. But this is just a model and it does not work in all cases. Going further and generating a life project is the way that many people find to be happy.
The perception of well-being has more to do with leading a meaningful life, a life with meaning and a real purpose than with a pleasant life. Our society presents us with a happiness plan closely associated with consumption, with a purchasing power that in many cases is achieved through a lot of hours in a job that is not too grateful.
Feel the thrill of living
Feeling the thrill of living may be poetic, but it is actually the foundation of a meaningful life. It is about being able to transcend as a person and get up in the morning motivated to face the day.
The expert in education and artificial intelligence David Perkins referred to the condition by which the human being is condemned to self-design. To do this, you must discover the meaning of life and the reason why it exists, beyond the mere fact of being here.
A life plan
In reality, everyone has a life plan. What happens is that not just any plan constitutes a life project. People create their plans based on the environment where they live, on past experiences, acquired learning, expectations and beliefs, and everything together creates a plan.
Psychology professor Llian R. Daset, from the Catholic University of Uruguay, compares it with those books that are missing pages or have incomplete chapters. But incomplete or not, that plan ends up being the axis of our lives. So we could think how many people end up being leaves at the mercy of the wind.
Creating a meaningful life project
Recognizing the reasons for living and the elements that renew or update our vital impulse is the beginning of a meaningful life project. Reflect on the values and principles that make us feel good and determine if our way of acting is in line with them.
Discovering the purpose of life also goes hand in hand with identifying the passions that move us within. Carrying out an activity that makes us feel complete, to a large extent, allows us to discover what is important and essential for each one of us.
A life project is a road map
When you create a meaningful life project you are, in some way, rebuilding your own identity. It involves important decision making and a deep commitment to personal development. Deciding your own destiny and reaching your maximum potential as a person is the underlying objective in which any life project is framed.
It is important to understand your own personal history, experiences and learnings that have shaped the current person and that help to understand the present and prepare for the future. Working on autobiographical data is a great way to put past events in perspective.
You should also work on recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses. Analyze the social environment and the opportunities it can provide. These are resources that make it easier to understand where to improve and where to channel efforts.
On the other hand, knowing and understanding the personal mission is essential to create a life project in which as many challenges as strengths fit. In addition, it is important to achieve a certain alignment between what we think, feel and do, so that dissonance does not torture us. Having a life project facilitates a task: that of separating what matters from what is dispensable.
