Are We Living a Meaningful Life?

 Are We Living a Meaningful Life?

Are we living a meaningful life or are we in a rut and living a life leading us to nowhere? Are we living or just merely existing and what sort of legacy¹ will we leave behind? These and many other similar questions confront many of us seeking to find meaning to our individual life.

A gentleman came to see me the other day and asked how he could set up a business to help the less fortunate with the little savings² he had. Hitherto he concluded he was far from living a meaningful life and it was about time he did something meaningful. He did not know much about business but he realised that before God calls him home, he had to do something meaningful. As a financial planner, I was rather concerned about his ability to finance his retirement³, let alone thinking about going into business to help others. However, he too believed that helping⁴ a person to fish and hence be able to survive a bit longer is better than giving a fish to survive for a day only. He said he wanted to make a difference in the lives of others and ultimately in his own life too.

So, what about us? Are we living a meaningful life and making a difference in our daily lives today by reviewing what we have not done that we should have done that could have really made a difference in our relationships with loved ones, friends, business associates, customers, suppliers and a host of others that we meet everyday? Words spoken or written in anger, actions we regret, money and time wasted, and many other things done that add up to nothing and leaving a legacy that we have nothing to be proud of. If others have hurt us and there is unforgiveness in us, are we ready and prepared to forgive and forget? Doing so will not only make a difference in our life but will also serve to positively⁵ affect the party whom we have been estranged⁶.

This short article hopefully will be the start of many to come as my way of starting to make a difference in touching⁷ lives by sharing a thought or two, some interesting educational and news items, useful business and financial information and tips, and yes, even links to items of interest to buy or sell so that we can stretch the diminishing value of the dollar in our pockets.

1 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

2 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

3 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

6 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

7 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。