Finding Purpose and Meaning
What do you want your life to look like?
We’ve heard a lot of answers to this question:
“I want to have a steady job.”
“I want to spend time with my family.”
“I want to travel the world.”
“I want a giant mansion in Beverly Hills with live-in staff and three indoor swimming pools.”
(Okay, so we don’t hear a lot of that last one, but you get the idea.)
All these things are great, but they don’t really get at the heart of the question.
Take a deep breath, pause, and think—really think: What do I want my life to look like?
In our experience, a truly sincere answer to this question is hard to come by. It requires a good amount of introspection, vulnerability, and honesty. You have to break away from social norms and cultural expectations, so you can really get to the heart of what you want out of life.
It can appear hard. And the tricky thing is, even once you know what you want your life to look like, something even more challenging and more rewarding lies ahead: creating it.
Design.org is centered around the idea that your life isn’t something that happens to you. It’s something you create. Through your thoughts and your actions, you design your life.
If that’s true (and trust us, it’s true), then the million dollar question is this: how do you design a life that you want to live?
That’s where the Egg comes in.
The Egg?
Yes, the Egg.
You see, when it comes to “self help,” we’ve heard it all. And while all the books, research, coaching, and yes, therapy, have taught us a lot, we’ve created our own framework for marking our path and progress into real, lasting happiness and fulfillment.
This framework is the Egg.
Think of a baby chick in an egg. What happens if an external force breaks the egg open in an attempt to get the chick out faster? The chick dies. If the chick is going to live, the only way for that to happen is for the chick to crack itself out of the egg, on its own, from the inside out.
We think of ourselves the same way. We want to break free of our shell and thought-imposed limitations to experience a meaningful, happy life—but it can’t be forced on us. Instead, we have to work from the inside out to free ourselves and our mind’s thoughts from whatever doubts and limits are holding us back.
The stages of the Egg
Our research has helped us identify and order five distinct stages that occur along the journey to designing thoughts to bring about living a life you love. They are: hope, belief, action, purpose, and meaning.
Let’s take a closer look at each stage and how they might manifest themselves.
Hope
When you have hope, you’re ready to get started. You’ve chosen not to be afraid and that you can, by your own will, make life better. You’re ready to make changes (even if you don’t quite know what those changes are yet), and you’ve begun to think that maybe, just maybe, a better life is possible. When you start, your hope is probably not going to be as strong as it could be, and that’s okay! The important thing is to recognize that you are in this first stage, so you can continue to develop your hope until you’re ready to move on to…
Belief
What do you believe in? Do you believe in yourself? You’ve graduated, moving past fear that pulls you back. Working on your deep belief and conviction in a better future will lead you to a place where you discover powerful possibilities for your future. As these possibilities become more real to you, you’ll realize that you are capable of designing and reaching the future you want for yourself. In this stage, you begin to recognize the true power of your thoughts, and that what you think has a direct connection to who you are and who you will be.
Action
When you’re ready to take your inward belief outward, you’re ready for action. In this stage, you begin to put effort into creating the things you now believe in. As you move through this stage, you’ll become more self aware and start deliberately living in a way that propels you toward the future you want. Belief plus action delivers desired results.
Purpose
When you reach this stage, everything you think, say, and do has direction. You develop more clarity about why you do the things that you do, and you tie everything into your newfound mission in life. Here, actions don’t just exist to support thoughts; rather, your actions reflect a deeper sense of a “greater good.” You also become aware of how your actions affect those around you, in both positive and negative ways.
Meaning
Reaching this stage is accompanied by a sense of inner peace and happiness and tangible outward impact. You feel as though your thoughts connect you to yourself, to others, and to your surroundings. You are able to create a life that you want with ease, through purposeful thoughts and actions. You continue to grow, and have a desire to keep growing (and never stop).
These stages of the Egg are clear and profound. With this framework, you can measure where you are at, so that, through your thoughts, you can learn how to design a life that you are truly happy with. Moving through the egg is a process of growth, and growth is always worth the effort.
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Get started with an assessment to receive personalized coaching and affirmations for 30 days, at no cost.
Where to start
Now that you understand the Egg framework, the next step is to determine which stage you are currently at, so you can take the right steps toward breaking out of your shell, gently growing, without forcing things or moving too fast.
We’ve developed an assessment that will tell you where you’re currently at in your own “egg.” From there, we’ll help you get started in your daily thinking. You can sign up to receive 30 days of free coaching from Design.org. This coaching is tailored to your specific assessment results, so the help you get will allow you to start where you are while also gently guiding you forward and into the next stages. (After 30 days, you can continue your coaching for just $3.99/month—about the cost of one cup of coffee.)
Want even more help? Schedule daily affirmation reminders using Design.org’s affirmations. We offer affirmation packs on a variety of topics (like Being Fearless or Achieving Simplicity), or we allow you to create your own affirmation pack. Our service allows you to receive affirmations, via text or email, up to six times a day. That’s a lot of positive thought, and you choose the right amount for you.
Designing your thoughts and your life isn’t always easy, but it’s more than worth it. Inner peace is the ultimate success. We’re here to guide you on your ever-important journey towards meaning and self-discovery.
Stop letting life happen to you, and start designing a life you love.