Perhaps you are working at a job you don’t particularly like. Maybe, you just feel like you are going through the motions in life. 
You might find yourself asking “what is life’s purpose and meaning?” Now, this might be something people ask themselves in deep depression as well. That is, however, not necessarily what I am referring to. I am referring to struggling with the monotony of daily living and a general displeasure with daily living. Though, having a greater sense of purpose in life has been associated with lowered depression and anxiety (American Psychiatric Association). 

Lacking meaning and purpose in your life may lead you to feel directionless, unfulfilled and bored. It can affect your overall mental health and wellbeing.
Meaning is similar to motivation in the way that, if we wait for it to come, we could be waiting our whole lives. With motivation and meaning, we must take action. We have to build a meaningful life, rather than waiting for our lives to suddenly become meaningful. 

A meaningful life starts with our values. Our values are our beliefs that guide us.

First we must define are values; the ideals in which guide our  actions. Ask your self “what is most important to me?” “What do I want to cultivate as a person?” Values are the general directions that we want to be heading in. Goals are the little destinations along the way, heading towards that direction.

Clarifying our values can help us decide on the goals to set in order to  help us move toward a more meaningful life. Each day is full of decisions and those decisions can move us towards our values or away from them. 

Ask yourself, if you woke up tomorrow and you were living a life totally aligned to your values, what would that look like? Start this exercise, imaging how you would start your day. Follow your routines throughout your whole day until you go to bed at night. If you see some stark differences with how you act now and how you envision yourself acting, note those down. How can you incorporate your values in life today? How might you change the way you act or think to be more in alignment with your values? 

Doing some self reflection and asking yourself these questions is the beginning of living a meaningful life. Start with one value and one goal. Set a SMART goal today. (SAMHSA Smart Goals ) 
Use the following worksheet to help you clarify your values and to help ask yourself questions how you want to be and act in different areas of your life such as relationships, work and spirituality.
Brene Brown Values
If you need further assistance or clarification with values or in general, please seek the help of a trained professional or therapist.