The Meaning of Life with Dr. Bob

Something was on television about the Meaning of Life and my wife made a comment about it. Bang! It truly hit me like a bolt from the blue. That’s what I ought to do next! You, dear reader, will either accept or reject what I have to say. I’ll be fine with either.

I have a few credentials. I hold an earned doctorate called the Doctor Of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton Ohio. I spent over 38 years as a practicing professional Life Coach, before that title had any real vogue in our language. During those years, almost every sort of human challenge walked through my door. I have done much personal study on the subject of self-esteem and subjects related to that topic. So there you have it. Let’s see what we can make of this subject, I Know the Meaning of Life: To Be Happy.

One of the first questions that comes up when people meet each other is, “What do you do?” It is a legitimate way of getting to know someone else. The work they do helps to define them. Nothing wrong with the question “What you do?” But is who you are defined solely by your work? Do you want to be defined solely by your work? Don’t you have more than one dimension?

I remember being defined by the term “clergy.” (I now use the term Life Coach as it fits better with me and the social media climate of the Internet.) As soon as someone received information from that label, their behavior toward me invariably change. Because I had seen this change very often, I was careful to avoid, early in the conversation, the fact that I was clergy. I have seen people change into someone else too often. But sooner or later they got around to asking what I did. I would tell them and they would change.

Like the “Transformers” in cartoons and movies, I could almost hear the machine reprogramming within their personality. Sometimes they would even say aloud something like, “Oh, I better watch my language.” Some were made so uncomfortable by learning of my profession that they made their excuses as quickly as possible and “disappeared.”

But I am more than I do. You are more than you do. You are who you BE. I am who I be. Remember, we are examining the part of the title that says “to be.” I mean I “be” much more than a Life Coach. You “be” much more than what you do. I have met many “stay-at-home moms” who are passionate about not being defined as only “moms.” They want to be so much more than that. They also play the piano. Or paint. Or sing. On the other hand, I’ve met many women who work outside the home and are also mothers. They made sure in no uncertain terms that I knew that their job did not define them.

We will continue to explore more of the Meaning of Life: To Be Happy as the these blog posts move forward. “Stay tuned.”

I recommend The Barking Unicorn. It is an excellent and interesting blog.