There’s a line I utter aloud to myself each morning during my Morning Saying: “My purpose: contribute to the universe.” It’s part of a short speech I recite that helps prime me for the day. I reflected on that line further this morning, because I often feel pressure to accomplish, to achieve something, anything. And then I realized that there’s a way to embrace both edges of the sword, to entertain the ideas of nihilism and hedonism while staying driven.

We exist for such a short period of time. Even with increasing healthspans, we’re probably penciled in for a century, if we’re lucky. And all one has to do to feel fatalistic about the world is to consume the news. So what are we to do in this one short life? How do we find meaning? How do we grasp that sense of purpose I tell myself each morning?

We can acknowledge it will all end. That even if we achieve our wildest dreams and greatly impact the world, we’ll not be able to enjoy it forever. That can relieve some stress regarding the pressures of accomplishment. The whole, “don’t take life too seriously, you’ll never make it out alive” sort of thing. And it’s true, some sense. So if we’re going to die anyway, should we just pursue pleasure and fully embrace hedonism?

That can be fun, but it’s also empty. After partying, or vacationing, or whatever it is you enjoy, for too long… the ‘fun’ becomes not enough. Which brings us back to finding purpose. To pursuing goals, but maintaining the balance of understanding that it will all end. On my run this morning I saw this completely clearly, rationally. Contribute to the universe, but don’t stress about it, because we are finite lifeforms. Do your best, but don’t covet the ever elusive ‘win,’ because we are here to manifest the wonders of the universe just as we are.

I guess that whole “life is a great balancing act” is true. And it can all happen just in your head.