Could you say “my job has no meaning” with ease? How about “my relationship has no meaning?”

In this book “The Achievement Habit”, Bernie Roth explains an exercise he has his Stanford students go through. He asks them to list everything in their lives and say “this has no meaning”- from their shoes to their children.

He says, “The point of the exercise is not to get the participants to change their relationships, but rather to empower them with the realization that they have chosen the meanings they give.”

Once we understand that we choose what meaning and importance to place on something, (that tone your boss had on the call, the invitation that you didn't get, the number of “likes”, the importance of grades) you can also understand that it is you- not external circumstances who determines the quality of your life.

So start to become aware of the meaning you give everything throughout the day. It’s...