Make meaning of your life ..

It was depressing to hear about some instances of cancer that had hit my close relatives and was wondering how to face it physically and psychologically that I decided to have a look for an interesting article. It was then that I hit upon an interesting HBR article that mentioned how to handle the difficulties and life changes associated with cancer.

I happened to read the HBR article, the real life reflections, by London Business School Professor Dan Cable "The most powerful lessons my cancer taught me about life and work" (click here) which is condensed here into just three points.

1. Identify the stories you have been telling about yourself, your actual and earlier activities, your purposes of life

2. Choose a better story about the same activities but with a different meaning and emphasis

3. match your behaviors to the new story so that your new meaning of the stories can make better connection

Cancer patients, most of them would have been earlier chasing their careers, often ignoring family life, work life balance etc. When the news of cancer strikes them like a bolt from the blue, they scramble around to find new meaning to their life. Often at this point they realise it is not worth running behind the pleasures and rewards life offers and instead start concentrating on the small pleasures and relationships of life, often enriching them.

The third point of matching behaviours to suit the new story is what transforms the life. If earlier people were behind money, fame and reputation, suddenly one finds people going after work life balance, peace, yoga, daily exercises, spirituality and the like. 

This transformation is worth going after after one realises the shortcomings of life. So when life gives you a shock or redirects it, instead of losing hope and entering a state of despair, find new meanings for your life and adjust your life to these new meanings, let what Prof. Dan Cable did with his personal life on realising he was affected by cancer. Now he has a new and different meaning for life and is happy with it.

George.