Read on TwitterThere probably has been no better moment for any of us to distinguish what we commonly refer to as "happiness" from meaning. For starters, this article is a good take on the topic. 1/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/opinion/coronavirus-mental-health.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/0...
The key distinction here is between the day-to-day sentiment (or mood) we feel versus the more reflective consideration of the bigger picture, of what& #39;s really important in life. 2/
Most of the time, we are easily swept away by the quick reactions to the here-and-now. This is natural, not irrational, and tracks what psychologists call System 1 thinking, which is subconscious. 3/
We all regard ourselves though as System 2 thinkers - logical, reasoning, evidence based. It& #39;s the source of our identity as sentient beings. It& #39;s no fun to self-regard as a complex of nerve-endings. 4/
But in fact, as we know, S2 thinking is not only rarer than S1, it is *effortful.* It is tiring. And in that context, we know we don& #39;t sit around most of the time asking: What& #39;s the meaning of life?
Nope. We get on with things. Families, jobs, sports, etc. 5/
Nope. We get on with things. Families, jobs, sports, etc. 5/
But here we are.
Everyone now has a lot of time on their hands. There is plenty to react to, and all of us are cycling through emotions: sadness, hope, anger, relief, grief, gratitude, boredom. You name it. 6/
Everyone now has a lot of time on their hands. There is plenty to react to, and all of us are cycling through emotions: sadness, hope, anger, relief, grief, gratitude, boredom. You name it. 6/
In a sense we& #39;ve been given a gift of time and space to think about meaning--as distinct from happiness.
So what are the cornerstones of a meaningful life? 7/
So what are the cornerstones of a meaningful life? 7/
My own mental model has 4 dimensions.
*Connection* - we are social beings. It& #39;s more than just being around others. We are hard wired to survive and thrive in groups. This is as core to our identity as anything else. 8/
*Connection* - we are social beings. It& #39;s more than just being around others. We are hard wired to survive and thrive in groups. This is as core to our identity as anything else. 8/
*Control* - we find meaning in the belief that we have autonomy over the direction of our lives, to have a say in what we do and who we are. And not just with regard to action, but narrative. We need to feel freedom through telling of our own stories. 9/
*Competence* - We find meaning and identity through work. When someone asks you "What do you do?" they& #39;re really asking "Who are you?" Finding flow in vocations that we value is a source of meaning. /10
*Context* - Most broadly, we finding meaning in devotion to something outside ourselves, something bigger. This is of course faith and religion. It is also your nation, your hometown, even your sports team. We all want something to believe in. 11/
So those are the four sources of meaning in life:
1. Connection
2. Control
3. Competence
4. Context
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1. Connection
2. Control
3. Competence
4. Context
/12
As I noted, this is only my own mental model. It& #39;s hardly the only way to think of these things and I encourage you have your own back-of-the-envelope sense of what really matters. 13/
Why a cheat sheet? Because this is an ideal time to run this current experience through your own sense of what matters. And having your own quick guide will help you isolate and identify both the pain points and salves. 14/
Keep in mind, these are guideposts, not a scorecard. The idea is not to "max out" on each metric, to score 10 on each and "win" with a score of 40. That& #39;s silly and in fact there are tensions and contradictions in these categories. 15/
There are trade-offs in a search for meaning. But that& #39;s a topic for another day. 16/
For now, with time slowed down, our normal daily experience of rapid fire action/reaction--the typical fodder for our daily sense of "happiness"--has been transformed. It& #39;s largely unpleasant, like going off sugar (not a coincidence). 17/
But, to conclude, we have all been gifted an opportunity--not just mental, but physical--to reflect on the happiness versus meaning distinction and perhaps dig in a bit more on what really matters. 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙏" title="Folded hands" aria-label="Emoji: Folded hands"> 18/x
