12 Unconventional Ways to give Your Life more Meaning

What is the Secret of Living a Meaningful Life?

The secret of living a meaningful life isn’t really a secret at all – it lies in understanding that it is up to us to make our lives meaningful.

How you do it is up to you.

When I decided I wanted to live a more meaningful, rewarding and fulfilling life (seems ages ago now), I discovered that I needed three key elements in my life to do so:

Connection – Authentic relationships and strong bonds with others, the feeling that I belong. This includes not just my family, friends and colleagues, but also my community, and what I feel spiritually connected to.

Purpose – Having aspirations and aims that resonate with my values. This doesn’t require grand missions – it can be as simple as being a good friend, being compassionately creative, or helping others in small ways. The key is that my actions align with what I truly value.

Growth – Continuously learning, developing, and evolving as a person. This means staying curious, facing challenges, and being willing to change my perspectives.

Perhaps the real “secret” is accepting that meaning isn’t something we find, but something we create through our choices, attitudes, and the way we relate to both life’s gifts and challenges. It requires staying present and engaged rather than waiting for meaning to appear from outside ourselves.

I am often asked, during iNFINITE iMPACT mentoring sessions, what this looks like in practice. “How do you do this, on a day-to-day basis?” my clients ask.

So I make an inspirational list:

12 Unconventional Ways to Give Your Life More Meaning

  1. Become a “life historian” for elderly people in your community – record their stories, scan their photos, and preserve their memories. This creates meaningful connections while safeguarding important personal histories that might otherwise be lost.
  2. Create “micro-libraries” in unexpected places – leave curated collections of books in laundromats, bus stations, or local coffee shops with notes encouraging others to read and pass them on. Each collection could focus on a specific theme or topic you’re passionate about.
  3. Become a “dream enabler” – identify people’s unfulfilled dreams or aspirations (especially among those with limited resources) and help make them happen through creative problem-solving, networking, or direct assistance. This could be helping someone learn to read or finally visit the ocean.
  4. Start an “intergenerational skills exchange” where you connect younger people with elderly individuals to trade modern tech knowledge for traditional skills like cooking, crafting, or storytelling. This builds bridges between generations while preserving valuable knowledge.
  5. Create “joy interventions” – orchestrate unexpected moments of delight in public spaces through art installations, music performances, or interactive experiences. Focus especially on bringing these moments to places that typically lack beauty or joy.
  6. Become a “nature translator” – learn deeply about your local ecosystem and lead unusual nature experiences (like midnight wilderness walks or urban foraging tours) that help others develop a more intimate connection with the natural world.
  7. Practice “radical hospitality” by turning your home into an occasional gathering space for people who wouldn’t normally interact – host dinners combining different social groups, cultures, or viewpoints to foster understanding and connection.
  8. Start a “repair revolution” by learning to fix things and teaching others – organize repair cafes where people can bring broken items and learn how to fix them, reducing waste while building community self-reliance.
  9. Become a “memory gardener” by helping families or communities create living memorials – plant trees or gardens that honour loved ones while providing beauty and environmental benefits for future generations.
  10. Create “wisdom circles” where people share life lessons learned from their biggest mistakes or challenges. This transforms personal difficulties into collective learning opportunities while creating deeper human connections.
  11. Practice “guerrilla restoration” by identifying neglected spaces in your community and gradually transforming them through small, persistent actions – planting wildflowers, installing birdhouses, or creating tiny art installations.
  12. Become a “connection catalyst” by deliberately introducing people who could benefit from knowing each other, but might never meet otherwise. Focus on connections that could spark meaningful collaborations or mutual support.

Bonus options:

  • Culinary World Tour: Explore diverse cultures through their cuisines by visiting ethnic restaurants or food markets. Try unfamiliar dishes and learn about their origins and preparation methods
  • Interactive Art Workshops: Participate in immersive art experiences like glow-in-the-dark painting or virtual reality art creation to stimulate creativity and self-expression

These activities are unconventional because they go beyond traditional volunteering or career paths, creating unique ways to contribute while developing rich personal experiences and relationships. Each one can be scaled up or down based on your time and resources, and all have the potential to create ripple effects of positive change while providing deep personal satisfaction.

Maybe you are now asking yourself, “Well, what are more conventional ways of adding meaning to your life?

12 Conventional But Powerful Ways to Add Life More Meaning to Your Life

  1. Volunteer regularly for causes you care about – whether at a food bank, animal shelter, or youth organisation. This direct service to others provides immediate impact and connection while contributing to societal good.
  2. Nurture close family relationships by creating dedicated quality time, starting traditions, and being fully present during important moments. This might include regular family dinners, weekend activities, or annual gatherings.
  3. Develop lasting friendships through consistent investment in relationships – regular check-ins, being there during difficult times, and celebrating successes together. True friendship provides both support and shared joy.
  4. Pursue meaningful work that aligns with your values, whether through your career or side projects. This doesn’t mean having a “dream job,” but rather finding ways to contribute value through your work.
  5. Take care of your physical and mental health through regular exercise, healthy eating, meditation, and adequate rest. This creates the foundation that allows you to show up fully in other areas of life.
  6. Engage in lifelong learning through formal education, reading, taking courses, or developing new skills. This keeps your mind sharp while expanding your understanding of the world.
  7. Practice gratitude deliberately through journaling, expressing appreciation to others, or simply taking time to acknowledge life’s gifts. This shifts focus from what’s lacking to what’s present.
  8. Create art or engage in creative expression – whether through music, writing, painting, sculpting etc. This allows you to process emotions and experiences while making a long-term contribution to the world.
  9. Connect with nature through regular outdoor activities, gardening, or simply spending time in natural settings. This grounds us in something larger than ourselves while providing insight and perspective.
  10. Participate actively in your community through local organisations, religious institutions, or neighbourhood groups. This will create a sense of belonging and allow you to contribute to your immediate environment.
  11. Set and work toward meaningful goals that align with your values, whether personal, professional, or spiritual. This provides you with direction and a sense of progress.
  12. Mentor others by sharing your knowledge and experience, whether formally through organisations or informally with colleagues or younger family members. This is how you create your legacy.

These approaches are conventional because they’re well-established paths to meaning, but their power lies in consistent practice and genuine engagement rather than just going through the motions. The key is to choose activities that genuinely resonate with your values and commit to them.

Leo’s Unconventional but Life-changing Way of Adding Meaning to his Life

The Memory Keeper

Leo used to walk past Paradise Valley Retirement Home every day on his way to his accounting job, barely noticing the building or its residents. But one rainy morning, he spotted an elderly woman sitting alone on the covered porch, holding an old photograph and crying quietly.

Instead of hurrying past, Leo stopped. The woman’s name was Ruth, and the photograph was of her wedding day in 1952. As she shared the story, Leo realised that with each passing year, fewer people remained who remembered the details of that day – the colour of the bridesmaid dresses, the taste of the lemon cream cake, the way Ruth’s father had stumbled over his speech because he was trying not to cry.

That evening, Leo went home and made a decision. He bought recording equipment and started visiting Paradise Valley during his lunch breaks. One by one, he began recording the residents’ stories – not just the big moments, but the small ones too. The time George smuggled a puppy into his college dorm. The summer Maria learned to make her grandmother’s secret recipe for empanadas. The day Howard discovered he could whistle through a blade of grass.

Leo created digital archives for each resident, complete with scanned photos and recorded stories. He taught younger family members how to add to these living histories during their visits. Soon, other retirement homes started asking him to train their staff to do the same.

His accounting colleagues thought he was strange, spending his free time collecting old people’s memories. But Leo had never felt more alive. In preserving these precious fragments of lives well-lived, he discovered that meaning isn’t always found in grand gestures – sometimes it’s in making sure that someone’s wedding cake story lives on, even after they’re gone.

How does our Perception of a Meaningful Life change as we get older?

Young Adults (18-29)

During this stage of life, young adults typically find meaning through their social connections and community interactions. Friends play a pivotal role in providing a sense of belonging and purpose. Educational experiences and exploratory hobbies are frequently cited as meaningful pursuits, reflecting the developmental stage of identity formation and personal discovery. However, research suggests that young adults often report a lower sense of life coherence and cosmic significance compared to older age groups. They are more likely to be actively searching for meaning, experiencing this period as a time of exploration and self-understanding.

Adults (30-49)

As individuals transition into this life stage, career and professional achievements become more prominent sources of meaning. The workplace often provides a structured environment for personal growth, achievement, and contribution. Family relationships simultaneously become increasingly significant, with many adults finding deep meaning in parenting, partnering, and maintaining familial connections. This period is characterised by establishing professional identities and creating stable family units, which become primary sources of purpose.

Middle-aged Adults (50-64)

For middle-aged adults, the landscape of meaning begins to shift more dramatically. Material well-being and personal health start to gain greater importance as sources of meaning. People in this age group become more reflective about their physical and mental capabilities, with health considerations playing a more central role in their lives. Career accomplishments are often reframed, and personal achievements are viewed through a more holistic lens of life experience.

Older Adults (65+)

Older adults demonstrate a fascinating transformation in their perception of meaning. They consistently report higher levels of life coherence and a more profound sense of cosmic significance. While their sense of active purpose might diminish compared to younger groups, they often develop a more philosophical and accepting approach to life. Material well-being, health maintenance, and retirement experiences become key focal points. Interestingly, while family remains important, it is emphasised differently compared to younger age groups. Older adults are more likely to integrate life’s challenges and difficulties into their meaning-making process, viewing them as integral parts of their life journey rather than obstacles.

Each age group experiences meaning through a unique lens shaped by developmental stages, life circumstances, and accumulated experiences. This suggests that meaning is not a static concept but a fluid, personal narrative that adapts and transforms throughout our lives. (Fung NLK, Fung H. Age differences in experiencing meaning in life: A multidimensional approach. Innov Aging. 2021 Dec 17;5(Suppl 1):901.)

The iNFINITE iMPACT mentoring program is designed specifically for the group above and the group below, for those who are seeking to add deeper meaning to their success and transition into a more purposeful life. By addressing the unique challenges this group faces—such as a lack of fulfilment despite their achievements—the program provides personalised guidance to explore and implement unconventional strategies like those I mentioned above.

Through a blend of practices, clients are empowered to uncover what truly resonates with them. Whether it’s reigniting curiosity through new activities, engaging in meaningful generosity, or crafting a legacy that reflects their inner values, the program offers a structured yet deeply personal roadmap for transformation. The goal is to help clients go beyond surface-level success and cultivate a life rich in purpose, connection, and impact—ultimately guiding them toward a life transition that feels authentic and deeply rewarding.

Final Thoughts

You can choose to make your life more meaningful in both conventional and unconventional ways. Traditional approaches like volunteering, nurturing family bonds, developing friendships, pursuing purposeful work, maintaining health, continuing education, practising gratitude, creating art, connecting with nature, engaging in community, setting meaningful goals, and mentoring others provide time-tested routes to fulfilment.

Yet meaning can also emerge through less conventional paths – becoming a life historian for the elderly, creating micro-libraries in unexpected places, enabling others’ dreams, facilitating intergenerational skill exchanges, orchestrating joy interventions, leading nature experiences, practising radical hospitality, teaching repair skills, cultivating memory gardens, hosting wisdom circles, restoring neglected spaces, and catalyzing meaningful connections between people.

The secret isn’t in choosing between conventional and unconventional approaches, but in recognizing that meaning flows from authentic engagement with life in all its forms. When we remain open to both traditional wisdom and unexpected possibilities, we create a rich tapestry of purpose that transcends any single path or practice. The true art of meaningful living lies in weaving together these diverse threads in ways that resonate with our unique values, circumstances, and aspirations.

“I am an experienced medical doctor (MBChB, MRCGP, NLP master pract cert, Transformational Life Coach dip, Counselling cert, Med Hyp Dip and EAGALA cert) with a special interest in stress management. I may have an impressive number of letters after my name, and I may have more than three decades of professional experience, but what qualifies me to excel at what I do is my intuitive understanding of my clients’ difficulties and my extensive personal experience of managing major life changes using strategies I developed over many years” Dr M Montagu – iNFINITE iMPACT

Imagine having a survival toolkit ready next time you’re hit by a life-shattering transition. When you subscribe to my Savoir Vivre Vignettes newsletter, you get FREE access to my How to Survive a Life Quake 7-part online course (valued at €79). This isn’t just another online course; it’s a heartfelt made-with-love guide packed with tools to help you face and thrive through life’s transitions with resilience. I’d love for you to join our community!

All content of this website is copyrighted. You cannot copy the content of this page