Almost everyone I meet wants to live a life of meaning. They feel dissatisfied if there is no meaning to whatever they do, and of course, it is perfectly valid to feel this way. This explains the high turnover rate in some industries, where the staff find it difficult to justify them being there.

There are of course circumstances well beyond the control of individuals where they need the job and the purpose for being there is to feed themselves and their families. And for them, the meaning is in the means. Not everyone needs a PROFOUND MEANING for doing what they do.

There are others who feel a lack of dissatisfaction with their spirit, to them, finding meaning in the means to live, is not enough. And understandably too. I always advise them to be patient and keep the focus on personal growth and development; the answers will come. The thing is whenever I say this to people; they tell me: you don't understand because you are living a life of meaning.

The reality is that it is a process. I did not become a spiritual teacher and life coach automatically, nor did I sail through life effortlessly. Please allow me to share my personal experience and how I became a teacher. It was indeed not handed to me on a silver platter; there were lots of tears, heartache, and pain involved.

I started my journey with a life of intense addictions for a good 8-10 years (the last two years were extreme ups and downs) when I started my working career. To not go into a long boring story, the addictions were the result of a sense of emptiness, I was searching but did not know what I was seeking. I thought I was happy doing what I did, but the void just kept echoing through my soul.

So then, on top of having to search for a meaningful life for myself, I had another set of problems -- battling with addictions.

I'm sharing this to illustrate how in the search for something if we are not careful, we can slip down a very slippery slope and it can take us even further from our intended path. The harder the fall and deviated away from our path, the harder work we have to put in.

For me to become a spiritual teacher/life coach, there was a lot of significant cleaning up to do! It took years. The physical clean-up was by far the easiest. It was the emotional, mental and spiritual clean-up that took years! It is for this reason, I have made myself a forever student of In-depth Psychology -- and checking in with a Jung (Jung psychology) Analyst every week or so to make sure I am always on track with development and growth. A lot of time and energy is invested. As a spiritual teacher and life coach, it is my responsibility to keep improving, learning, and keep making myself a better version of myself. It is my duty.

I never saw my addictions at that time as part of my process, nor did I ever dream that I would be helping others battle their addictions too, but life does throw you some surprises at times.

The thing is, whatever path you choose that has meaning for you, you cannot shortchange whoever you are serving by being content with where you are. If you do, you will soon find yourself feeling restless because a part of you is slowly dying.

Living a life of meaning does not happen overnight. It is not as if; you have an Aha! Moment one day and then the next day your life changes and you are on the euphoric path to greater peace and happiness with no challenges. It does take investment in time, energy and sometimes a lot of money. Being open to learning and seeing your entire life happenings as preparation to take you where you need to go are keys!

This article was first published in 2018 © 2022

Book your free 15-minute consult to see how we can disrupt the patterns of your trauma and/or lower self; for you to thrive emotionally, mentally, spiritually or financially (shadow & light work) CLICK Here

Let me know how I can assist you if you have any questions [email protected]

Shamala Tan is an author, spiritual entrepreneur and healer. Her work focuses on transforming the lives of others on the spiritual, emotional, mental and earthly levels.

Shamala’s clients include small business owners, holistic practitioners as well as those seeking to find more significant meaning and value in life. Shamala offers laser coaching to her clients on a one-to-one basis or in a group environment, offline as well as online.