What is the meaning of life?

It is said that “life is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God.” When I was a teenager, I decided that if I could make people either a little bit wiser or a little bit happier, life indeed would be a joyful journey. In my work as an author, professional speaker, and consultant in the area of leadership and resiliency, I try and achieve that end. The “wise” part eludes me at times. “Happier” now translates into seeing a smile or a laugh break out. In fact, I often say in meetings that I am in this world for comic relief. I find that humor is the shortest distance between people. Laughter breaks down barriers so that people can begin to see what they have in common rather than what divides.

I also believe in the law of reciprocity: what you give out comes back. So, to have a life of contribution and joy, requires a giving out of contribution and joy. That’s not always an easy task. My fascination with resiliency stems from the fact that our lives do have times of extreme pain, heartache, disillusionment, loss and fear. How we grow through these times and find meaning in them is yet another way of adding depth to this all-too-short time on planet Earth.

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~Eileen McDargh, business author, commentator, speaker, founder of McDargh Communications & The Resiliency Group
www.EileenMcDargh.com

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