Make You Proud

Tatiana Lazari

901038566

Psychology 103

Professor Shandler

October 22, 2020

 Abstract

Why is it that very many people in life don’t really know what they are living for?

Typically, it is because they have not reached the point in life where they find a real meaning of

their life. According to Clara Hill, “in the past people often took their meaning life as their

religion or job and didn’t have much opportunity to think about it”. She also emphasizes that “we

have more of the ability to decide for ourselves what we want our meaning to be”.
 Make You Proud
Every year college students change in major ways, their experiences help change their

perspective of life, and their meaning of it changes. Although college students are not far enough

in life to really go in depth of their meaning in life, I could tell you about what I believe my

meaning in life is currently. My parents going through hell and back just for me to get the best

circumstances to continue my education and live a steady and happy life, for that I will continue

to do what I can to make them the proud parents of this stressed-out college student.

Early adulthood is full of days of experiments and exploration. At this age teens are at a

transitioning state where trying to find stability and possibilities, focus on themselves. This is the

stage I am at. I am the “adult” looking to explore, experiment, and focus on myself, but I chose

to do it with a purpose. My purpose being making my parents proud, but at the same time

fulfilling my own desires of learning more about psychology, the world and gaining more

experience along the way.

Coming to this conclusion was by a very incidental moment. It was a conversation, which I

thought was an argument at the time, that I had with my mom. We were in an argument about

which path I have chosen to take for my future. At this moment I realized how much my parents

really gave up back in our country for my brother and me. Their family, jobs, friends and for that

I will always be eternally grateful, I will do what I can to make them as proud as I can even if it

means sacrificing the things I have to.

My purpose helps me on my day to day life, whether it is to help me make the right

decisions or motivate me to do better and push through my daily obstacles. After realizing what I

really wanted to do with my life, and what I wanted my meaning to be, I began making the right

decisions to lead me closer and closer to that path. When someone or something creates an

obstacle for me, I chose to overcome it because I am so focused on fulfilling my meaning.

 A psychologist named Clara Hill discusses this in a podcast and how the meaning of life

can not only change but everyone has one to help guide them through life. One of the most

memorable parts of Hill’s podcast was the part where her and the interviewer were discussing

how it is not just humans who find a meaning or purpose I life, it is animals as well. “Dogs get

trained that way they can help humans, so they can feel life they are doing something important,

which gives them a sense of purpose as well” ( Clara Hill, 2019), in this part of the interview it

began to click that everyone, even animals, look for a meaning in life to get through it with a

purpose, that is the best way to get through life.

Viktor Frankl also had a good view of finding the meaning of life. He believed that “If our

life was not finite, we would spend our time doing whatever we wanted because there was not a

limit on life” (Viktor Frankl, 1984, pg.361). Yet there is a limit on our lives and although we

don’t want to admit it, we don’t have much time to live, in some circumstances people don’t

even get the opportunity to live their full potential length of life. Either way both of these are

limited, we don’t have the time to just live without a meaning. Once young adults begin to

realize that life is over before we know it, we tend to find a purpose, that way we have a real

meaning to our lives. To fulfil us, and to make us more aware that having a purpose makes life

more enjoyable and realize that we are doing something important. The text also included that

“those who have found a sense of meaning are physically happier and healthier” (Krause,

2008,2009; Hayward, 2016, pg.362), and who wouldn’t want that?

Having a true purpose makes life worth living, it gives us a sense of importance of our life.

In my situation my purpose is to make my parents proud. I know once I have achieved this and

gotten as far as I possibly can, I will find a new purpose but continue to live life with a sense of

fulfillment.
 References
Hill, C., & Luna, K. (2019, February). Speaking of Psychology: How to Find Meaning in Life.
https://www.apa.org/research/action/speaking-of-psychology/life-meaning.
Santrock, J. W. (2020). Essentials of life-span development. McGraw-Hill Education.