The Meaningful Life

Career

Detecting the Meaning of Life’s Moments

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on March 10, 2024

What is life calling out to you?

Leadership

The Uneasy Balance Between Freedom and Responsibility

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on December 18, 2023

Are you prone to finger-pointing and blaming others for your plights?

Depression

From Crisis of Meaning to Call for Meaning

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on December 11, 2023

Is humanity approaching a major turning point?

Gratitude

Discovering Meaning Through the Lens of Gratitude

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on June 13, 2023

The more we practice gratitude, the easier to practice it becomes.

Environment

The Deeper Meaning of Awareness

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on April 12, 2023

It is more important to be aware than to be smart.

Happiness

Have a 'Happy New Year' by Not Searching for Happiness

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on January 12, 2023

The more you make happiness a target, the more you are likely to miss it.

Stress

Build Your Coping Skills and Capacity to Manage Stress

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on December 29, 2022

Do you have a “coping maxim” to guide you when answering life’s call, no matter how difficult or stressful a challenge may be?

Jacob Marley & Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol

Forgiveness

'Tis the Season to Extend Beyond Ourselves

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on December 1, 2022

Forgiveness means letting go of your own suffering and not being a prisoner of your thoughts.

Resilience

Coping With Election Angst and Distress

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on November 3, 2022

Finding deeper meaning during the tension of elections.

Loneliness

Combating the Pandemic of Loneliness

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on August 9, 2022

How are you practicing kindness, compassion and friendship?

Optimism

Realize Your Will to Fulfill Meaning

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on June 9, 2022

Where there is a will, there is a way; where there is a purpose, there is a will.

Philosophy

Opa! A Greek Expression That Can Improve Your Life

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on April 9, 2022

Tracing the human quest for meaning to the ancient Greeks.

Health

Find Meaning, and Boost Your Immunity

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on February 13, 2022

How the search for meaning can help boost our natural immune system.

Forgiveness

Life and the Labyrinth of Meaning

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on November 11, 2021

How might the labyrinth metaphor help you find greater meaning and fulfillment in your personal life and work?

Stress

Unleash Your Inner Zorba the Greek

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on October 5, 2021

The Academy Award-winning movie "Zorba the Greek" offers several key lessons about stress and finding deeper meaning in any situation.

Guilt

Avoiding the Pitfalls of "Collective Guilt"

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on September 7, 2021

Focus on what connects you to others, not on what separates you from them.

Point Prim Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse on Prince Edward Island and the only round brick lighthouse in Canada.

Resilience

Guiding Yourself and Others to Meaning

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on June 17, 2021

Finding safe passage into harbors of meaning when lost in the fog of life.

Career

The Greek Path to Well-Being

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on March 22, 2021

Thousands of years ago, the Greeks discovered new ways of thinking and being. It’s high time to revisit these concepts and to teach them to others.

Optimism

Are You a True Optimist?

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on March 1, 2021

Being a “true optimist” requires more than just positive (or as some might say, “Pollyannaish”) thinking.

Politics

Coping With Post-Election Distress

Alex Pattakos Ph.D. on January 4, 2021

Win or lose, there is meaning to be found in the outcome.