Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive. -Howard Thurman

Since the dawn of history, people have been searching for the meaning of life.

Some say that life is a problem to be solved;

others say it’s a mystery to be experienced.

Some say it’s a test to be endured;

others say it’s a gift to be enjoyed.

Some say it’s an opportunity to build an empire;

others say it’s a gift to be enjoyed.

Some say it’s an opportunity to build an empire;

others say it’s a chance to grow a soul.

In his lifelong study of myth and bliss in different cultures, Jospeh Campbell looked at men and women across history and around the world, and concluded:

”I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.”

Novelist Joyce Carol Oates put it even simpler: “We are here to feel the joy of life pulsing in us now.” Not someday, right now. At this very moment, there are people who have essentially stopped living. They aren’t outwardly complaining, or searching for inspiration, or voicing their frustration; they’re merely waiting for time to pass.

Gretchen Rubin, writer of The Happiness Project, urges each of us to stop now and then and hold a meeting with ourselves to explore this important question: “From 0 to 10, how alive do I feel?”

Zero represents the living dead, and 10 represents fully alive.

When was the last time I felt really alive, and what was I doing?

What are seven activities, pleasures, or events that will make me feel even more alive—right now, this week?