This week, on my 52nd birthday, I’m sharing a more personal reflection about a question that has occupied my thoughts for the past several months: what is the meaning of life?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself thinking more deeply about purpose, impact, and what really matters. I’ve spent time talking to friends, reading philosophy, and working with my life coach as I’ve tried to understand whether there is one universal meaning of life—or whether each of us has to discover that answer for ourselves.

The Meaning of Life is Personal

One of the biggest insights I’ve come to is that there isn’t one right answer. Meaning isn’t something we uncover like a scientific fact; it’s something we create through our own conscious mind. Georgia O’Keeffe might say the meaning of life is to create, Mother Teresa might say it’s to serve, and Amelia Earhart might say it’s to explore. Who are we to say they’re wrong? What gives one person’s life meaning may be very different from what gives meaning to someone else’s, and that’s exactly as it should be.

Our Lives Have Value

As I explored these questions, I came across a philosophical paper—Our Cosmic Insignificance—that challenged the idea that our lives don’t matter simply because we’re tiny in the vastness of the universe. It made a distinction that resonated with me: size and value aren’t the same thing. Something precious doesn’t lose its value just because it’s surrounded by something much larger.

That idea changed the way I looked at the world. Instead of focusing on how small we are, I found myself appreciating just how extraordinary life on Earth really is. Our consciousness, our relationships, the natural world around us: these things are unique, precious, and inherently valuable. That realization became a turning point in my search for meaning.

Following My Values

With the help of my life coach, I outlined a bunch of things that seemed like potential candidates for the meaning of life for me. I found myself returning to the same themes. Eventually, I realized they weren’t just ideas I admired; they were the values I’d already identified as guiding my life when I mapped out my top five values many months ago:

• Love and connection: Building meaningful relationships and sharing genuine human connection;
• Spirituality: Listening to my inner guidance and living in alignment with my deepest beliefs;
• Personal growth: Continuing to learn, stretch, and grow from life’s experiences;
• Wellness: Caring for my body and mind so I can live with integrity and purpose’
• Gratitude: Staying present to the gift of being alive and appreciating the richness of each moment.

Also, since my purpose (also mapped out months ago) is Positive Impact, and the way I have positive impact is through the way I live, I can’t really live my purpose unless I’m living by my values. So… it all came full-circle. For me, the meaning of life, the way I can have an impact, is by living my purpose in alignment with my values.

Will this always be true? I have no idea. I think it’s highly likely that both my purpose and my values may continue to evolve and change over time as I grow and develop.

Bright Line Eating Creates Space for Deeper Questions

So what does any of this have to do with Bright Line Eating? More than you might think. When food no longer dominates your thoughts, your energy is freed to focus on bigger questions. Reaching a right-sized body isn’t the end of your journey; it’s an opportunity to step back, take a broader view of yourself, and ask what truly matters.