Have you ever been gripped by the crushing feeling that your life is pointless? I lived in that gloomy and depressing state for years, hiding in my house away from the world, with days blurring into nights and nothing to distinguish them, all because I was caught by a monstrous sense of futility pressing down on me. But, finally a mind-blowing realization occurred to me: the meaning of life isn’t something that is decided FOR us by the world, but BY us through our choice. In this piece, I will delve into 2 life-altering experiences I had that showed me the power of perspective and changed my life forever, revealing the decisions we face every day in creating a life filled with purpose and fulfilment.
My perspective underwent its first monumental shift after reading C.S. Lewis’s “On Living in an Atomic Age.”¹ As I delved into the essay, the pervasive clouds of despair and hopelessness that clouded my thoughts began to lift from my mind. Right from the beginning, Lewis introduces this thought-provoking series of questions and answers, setting the stage for profound insights:
“In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. ‘How are we to live in an atomic age?’ I am tempted to reply: ‘Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.’ In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation.”¹
That little paragraph became the pebble that started an avalanche of new ideas in my mind. That was the moment that my entire perspective of the world started to shift. These ideas became the foundation for the life I live today, a life of fulfillment that I live with purpose every day because I’m living a life that matters because it has meaning to me! (The concept of meaning will be covered in more detail shortly because it is a crucial and wildly important part of perspective.)
Before my perspective started to shift, I felt crushed by the futility and pointlessness of life from a cloud of existential dread caused by it seeming like the world is tougher to succeed in today than ever before (quite the opposite is true actually, but that’s a subject for another article). Reading C.S. Lewis’ ‘On Living in an Atomic Age’¹ was a revelation; his approach to existential crises and the reminder that humanity has always faced such threats and we have succeeded wildly despite those threats. While I cannot capture his eloquence in summary, I will quote him here and then explain what it means to me:
”If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things — praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts — not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs.”¹
Substitute ‘atomic bomb’ with any modern crisis — be it COVID, war, economic downturns — the message remains unchanged: We can either live in dread of uncontrollable events, or we can choose to lead a life rich with purpose and productivity, concentrating on our relationships and our contributions towards a better world for ourselves and others. The former choice fills our existence with meaning, while the latter makes it futile.
The second pivotal moment that reshaped my perspective of the world unfolded during Russell Brunson’s ‘Think and Grow Rich Challenge.’² A guest appearance by Trent Shelton proved to be a breakthrough moment. His eloquent speech on perspective and meaning caused a bomb to go off inside my own limiting beliefs, shattering them like glass. (For those unfamiliar with him, I recommend you make some time to listen!)
Trent Shelton, a modern master of perspective, showed me that our minds hold the key to altering our reality through the power of our perspective and the choices we possess. “Your Perspective can either be your Prison or your Power” — Trent Shelton² The “Prison Perspective” views the world as if everything is conspiring against you, painting a pretty bleak and hopeless picture of reality. For example, I used to think “everyone is crazy now and the world is getting worse every day.” (Thankfully, that’s not true, and I’ll be discussing how the world is in a better state in many ways now than ever before in another article soon). In contrast, the “Power Perspective” puts the power and choice into our own hands and internal minds, instead of the external world around us. Grasping this concept was challenging, as it required embracing Personal Responsibility for my life and everything in it — a realization I had fortunately come to accept prior to encountering Shelton’s brilliance (a topic I’ll delve into in another article). What resonated with me most from Shelton’s incredible speech was one quote “If you want to live a more meaningful life, create better meanings in life.” -Trent Shelton²
I’m going to repeat that again because it is beyond important: “If you want to live a more meaningful life, create better meanings in life.”² Essentially, what this means is that regardless of what happens to us, none of it has any inherent meaning until we choose to give it a meaning. To reiterate, the meaning we give to something is a choice that is 100% under our control. Consider an example from my life: I, as many people have, went through an incredibly painful relationship and it broke me mentally for a while. I chose to view it as an awful experience and a direct representation of how worthless I was, I allowed it to create false beliefs in my mind and demolish my self-esteem. But now I realize that I get to decide on the meaning I assign to any experience. So I choose to view this as a pivotal moment of growth and personal development for me. That experience taught me the importance of boundaries and remaining true to my core beliefs and character traits instead of compromising myself for the semblance of “love”. Don’t forget, you get to choose how you define your life, the experiences in it, and the meanings you give them.
TLDR: Life is only pointless or meaningless if we choose that perspective and assign that meaning to it. Remember, “Your Perspective can either be your Prison or your Power” and “If you want to live a more meaningful life, create better meanings in life.” So instead of cowering at home in dread of the things you fear, I urge you to go out into the would and do human things, help your neighbors, and enjoy the company of the people you love!
Leave a comment or send me a private message with your questions and perspectives. Direct messages can be sent to me at: https://twitter.com/Tim__Faulkner
P.S. Here is an article on how your purpose in life is also a choice!
[1]: Lewis, C. S. (2022, March). “On Living in an Atomic Age” . “On Living in an Atomic Age” (first published 1948) by C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) . https://www.andybannister.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/cslewis-living-in-an-atomic-age.pdf
PDF Version of the essay.
[2]: clickfunnels.com. (2024). Think and Grow Rich Challenge — Russell Brunson. Retrieved 2024, from https://www.thinkandgrowrichchallenge.com/registration.
Trent Shelton was one of the guest speakers at this event.