When life hits hard—through loss, illness, trauma, financial ruin—we may feel lost or stuck. It can feel as though we are falling, unable to get back up. But even in our hardest moments, we have the potential to rise and rebuild a life of meaning. Perhaps even more meaning and purpose than we had before these challenges.

It’s easy to define purpose through our roles and careers—like being a parent, teacher, spouse or leader. But when these roles shift or disappear—when our sense of safety, predictablity, and stability are hidden—it can leave us feeling empty and without purpose or meaning in our lives.

Our life’s meaning and purpose comes from within. It is grounded in our core values.

When externals are stripped away, our values remain. Our core values line up with the gifts our challenges bring. Understanding this allows us to find some purpose and meaning in our losses and pain.

Examples of core values include :

Freedom

Safety

Joy

Adventure

Connection

Love

Beauty

Energy

Wisdom

Kindness

Abundance

*** Our values are the building blocks of our lives—our meaning and purpose.

*** We are the architects of our purpose in the world. And we can choose how to express this !