This is the solution to your insignificant life

This is the solution to your insignificant lifeThis is the solution to your insignificant lifeHave you ever seen a hamster in a Habitrail cage? When I was a boy, I had a buddy who owned two hamsters. They lived in Habitrail cages, which are plastic containers with connecting tubes and exercise wheels.During the day, the hamsters slept a lot and occasionally ate. At night, they scurried through their tubes and ran forever on their exercise wheels. The hamsters had their routines, but it all looked mindless to me.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreAll images by John WeissPeople are a lot like hamsters. We spend a good deal of our lives sleeping, eating and then scurrying off to work. We labor forever on our career treadmills.It can seem pretty mindless, just like those hamsters on their exercise wheels. Over time, a lot of folks lose their sense of purpose and meaning.They succumb to the vast torrent of daily meetings, deadlines, tasks and soulmusik-crushing mediocrity. They give up.Booze, drugs and sex might fill the void for some, but the escape is temporary. Soon, Monday morning arrives and everyone gets back on their treadmills.Mortgages have to be paid. The kids need braces. Decisions for matters small and large seem endless.So we soldier on. Working, raising our kids, trying to eat right and exercise more. But deep down, we sense something long forgotten in our hearts.The significance oflivingMy father used to have a short meditation byHoward Thurmanframed on his bro wall. As a boy, I had no idea who Howard Thurman was. We didnt have the internet back then.Today, if you look up Howard Thurman on Wikipedia, youll learn that hewas an influential African-American author, philosopher, theologian, educator, andcivil rightsleader. As a prominent religious figure, he played a leading role in manysocial justicemovements and organizations of the twentieth century. Thurmans theology of radical nonviolence influenced and shaped a generation of civil rights activists, and he was a key mentor to leaders within the movement, includingMartin Luther King, Jr.Fast forward a lifetime. My father passed on, and many of his office items were boxed up in storage. For years they hibernated in a dark cabinet in my mothers garage.Then one day, when age and Parkinsons disease coaxed my mother into an assisted living community, I platzdeckchen about helping her move. In the process of downsizing, I rediscovered Dads office items in the garage.There, amongst some diplomas and dusty books, I found the framed meditation by Howard Thurman. Id read it a few times as a boy but was too young to appreciate its meaning.I held it up to the light in the garage and read the entire document. Its wisdom immediately struck me. I was old enough now to appreciate it.Id been working for several years, and was raising a boy. I knew something of responsibility, money woes and ca reer fatigue. I experienced sacrifices and delayed plans.I guess I felt a bit like those hamsters. Working, going through the motions, but not feeling comletely alive. I wasnt doing all the things I thought Id be doing.I loved my family and was thankful to have a good job. But a parte of me felt like my life was unremarkable. Insignificant. Just another cog in the wheel of humanity.Maybe youve felt this way before? Perhaps even now? So what do we do, when our spirits deflate and the responsibilities of life blur the significance of living?The quiet persistence in theheartWe all want to matter. We want to know that our work and pursuits in life have purpose. Meaning. Significance.For some, there is no struggle. They find deep fulfillment in their work and families. But for many, their hearts are heavy. Maybe they hate their jobs, or feel stuck in life.How do we regain our significance for living? How do we recover that passion in our heart?Dream.Im not talking about the dreams of slu mber, although sometimes they will offer clues. Rather, Im suggesting you spend some serious time remembering, or discovering your dreams.Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard. Anne SextonListen hard to your soul. What dreams are lurking deep inside, longing to be revived? Or discovered for the first time?Lets return to that Howard Thurman meditation my Dad framed in his office. It was titled, Keep Alive the Dream in the Heart. Here are a few excerptsAs long as a man has a dream in his heart, he cannot lose the significance ofliving.Men cannot continue long to live if the dream in the heart has perished. It is then that they stop hoping, stop looking, and the last embers of their anticipations fadeaway.Dreams are immensely important in our lives. They dont have to be some great and overwhelming plan, according to Thurman. We dont have to change the world. But we do have to satisfy our hearts. As Thurman wroteThe dream is the quiet persistence in the heart that enables a man to ride out the storms of his churning experiences. It is the exciting whisper moving through the aisles of his spirit answering the monotony of limitless days of dull routine. It is the ever-recurring melody in the midst of the broken harmony and harsh discords of human conflict. It is the winzigkeit of significance which highlights the ordinary experience, the common event.What are your touches of significance? Those fulfilling pieces of the dream you have. My cartooning and painting were the touches of significance that kept me going during some difficult career years.Despite a successful, twenty-six year career in law enforcement, my dream was to become a full-time akrobat and writer. Except, I knew it would be unfair to my family to walk away from the salary and benefits my police career provided.So, I kept my creative dream alive by side-hustling. Evenings, early mornings and weekends allowed time to write, cartoon and paint. I kept the dream alive. I carved out time fo r my art, and it sustained me.Dont ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. - HowardThurmanI worked hard but planned carefully. Eventually, I reached a point where I could afford to retire a few years early and become a full-time writer and artist.I held on to my dreams, and they held on to me.Uncomplicated joyA reader recently emailed me and shared the uncomplicated joy he felt watching his sons play soccer. He may not be a famous artist, but hes discovering an important truthThe joy of creative expression is its ownreward.Having dreams are vital in our lives, but they need not be dreams of fame and fortune. In fact, during my law enforcement years, just dreaming of my landscape painting was enough to fulfill me.I used to dream about my creative growth. Along the way, Id take painting workshops and practice whenever time allowed. Breakthroughs were thrilling and gave me such a sense of signif icance and accomplishment.Becoming a famous artist wasnt my dream so much as becoming an accomplished artist. Im still learning and growing, but the dream sustains me.Finding the uncomplicated joy in your dream is a good start. Maybe you want to become a famous recording artist? Or a movie star?Nothing wrong with dreaming big. But that doesnt mean you cant find significance and uncomplicated joy in smaller achievements. It might be a great performance at an open mic night, or a local play you performed in.Castles in theairEvery life is significant. Every life matters. A child cares not if her mother is rich and famous. She loves her mother as she is. The little boy may idolize Spiderman, but he loves his father more.Sometimes, we dont give ourselves a break. We get down on ourselves and feel small and insignificant. We see magazines with beautiful people. We dont look like them, so we think we dont matter.Often, our culture gets it wrong and celebrates the superficial. Beauty, money , and fame. These things are not inherently schwimmbad but dig a little deeper. Maturity and wisdom will show you more important attributes. Like kindness, charity and love.Theres a splendid Tim McGraw song titled Beautiful people. It celebrates the beauty of ordinary people living significant lives. Like one guy in the song named Carl, who visits sick kids on Christmas, dressed as Santa Claus.Carl may not be rich. In fact, hes missing a front tooth. But the sick kids dont mind that one bit. Because hes taking the time to be Santa Claus for them. Hes giving of his time to enrich the lives of others. Now thats beautiful.You knew how to dream when you were a kid. Remember? Heck, I dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player like my idol, Jimmy Connors. I didnt become a tennis pro, but I did win tournaments and found great significance and personal joy in my tennis years.Whats long forgotten in your heart? What dream is buried within you? If none come to mind, then take Anne Sexto ns advice. Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.It matters not your position in life. All that matters is that you have a dream. That special something that quickens your heart and warms your spirit.Because a dream is always there with you, inspiring you to grow. To remind you that youre significant. You matter.If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. Henry DavidThoreauKeep dreaming. Build those castles in the air so you can keep an eye on them. Start crafting a life around those dreams. Carve out a little extra time in the mornings, evenings and weekends. Make it happen. You can do it.My Dad had dreams. Some of them came true. Others did not. Clearly, Howard Thurmans wisdom was important to my father. It became important to me. Hopefully, it will become important to you, too. Good luckAs long as a man has a dream in his heart, he cannot lose the significance of living. HowardTh urmanBefore yougoIm John P. Weiss, fine artist and writer. Get on my free email listhereto receive the latest artwork and writing.This article first appeared on Medium.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people