What would you do if this were your last day to live?

This is a very commonly asked question to make us let go of our fears and seize the day. Now, let me ask another question.

What would you do if you knew you were going to die 5 years from now?

Did your answer change? How did it differ?

The first situation is restrictive in terms of time, so most of us will concentrate on doing things that make us happy now. We will probably do whatever we want because we don’t have to live with the consequences of our actions tomorrow.

The second scenario is harder. While we know that we have only 5 years left, we still have to live each of those days. We will think of longer term goals, not just things that make us happy in the moment.

And that is the difference between happiness and meaning. We are all constantly searching for a purpose in life, something to work towards, something bigger than ourselves and maybe, even our own existence. This is what gets us out of our beds every day, our biggest long-term motivation. I would recommend Victor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning to better understand the value of meaning for humans.

It is easy to live through each day just doing things that give us instant gratification. But they won’t dispel the hollow feeling that we experience in our unguarded moments. Happiness makes us feel good in the present but we need to find our meaning in life for the long haul.