Finding Meaning in Life's Interruptions
Why your biggest disruptions might be your deepest invitations to return home to yourself.
Photo by Emma Swoboda on Unsplash
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"All of our problems come from one source – when we become disconnected from our instincts." — Carl Jung
We're programmed from childhood to follow a predictable path: good grades, college degree, steady job, house, family. The American Dream promises that climbing this imaginary ladder will deliver success and happiness.
But somewhere along the way, we lose ourselves. We forget our inner world to satisfy the outer world's expectations.
We silence our instincts in favor of what others think we should become.
The questions that matter most get buried under the noise:
Who am I, really?
Why am I here?
What's my true purpose?
The belief that nearly killed me
My father's voice echoed in my head for decades, then went into my subconscious out of my awareness until one day:
"Don't depend on anyone. You have to take care of yourself."
I embraced this belief like gospel, working relentlessly from age sixteen onward. Money meant independence. Independence meant power. But this drive disconnected me from everything that truly mattered.
In 2017, a near-fatal car accident changed everything. After a week on a ventilator and five major surgeries, I made my first phone call to my sister.
"I think God wanted you to slow down," she said gently.
Then she reminded me of Dad's old mantra, and my whole body started shaking. My body knew the truth.
This belief was hidden in my subconscious. I'd been living a prescribed life—my father's dreams, not my own. No wonder I couldn't stop working. No wonder I felt so disconnected from my authentic calling.
The power of larger questions
Most of us follow conditioned patterns until midlife hits us with a wake-up call. You achieve everything you set out to do, yet feel deeply unsatisfied. That's the symptom of living someone else's script.
James Hollis, Jungian analyst and author, reminds us: "Answers tell us where we've been. Questions get us on our journey."
Our life moves in the direction of our questions. Ask larger questions, get a larger life.
The questions that matter:
What has always sparked my imagination?
What talent have I pushed aside because I "didn't have time"?
What activities give me energy and ignite my soul?
What are my symptoms of unhappiness trying to tell me?
Where are you blocked by fear, stuck, rigid, or resistant to change?
What is the fear beneath the fear? The fear that intimidates you only gains its power from the wiring beneath it, the wiring of history, which leads to a more profound fear, a fear from your past. This circuitry activates the old message that this fear, this issue, is larger than you, and so you ignore the conscious, empowered adult you have become since then.
Where was your father stuck, and where has that stuck place shown up in your life? Where was your mother stuck, and where has that stuck place shown up in your life? Are you repeating their lives, their patterns, or trying to overcome them by compensation, or treating the problem in a way that brings harm and further self-alienation? Is this the legacy you will pass on to your children?
Where do you avoid conflict, the necessary conflict of values, and therefore avoid living in fidelity with who you are? This question is one that I learned recently is a character defect. I’ll write more about it.
From survival to soul
"Our task is not goodness, as many of us are told as children, it's about wholeness," Hollis explains.
"This is not about self-absorption. It's about accountability for the integrity of one's soul."
I spent years suppressing my true callings through overwork and self-medication. But when we disconnect from our inner life—through busyness, endless scrolling, or numbing behaviors—we betray our soul.
The cost is enormous. We end up serving something trivial instead of something profound within us.
Your inner guidance system
Each of us has built-in sources of guidance:
Our feeling functions
Our energy systems
Our dreams
Our symptoms
Most importantly, our sense of meaning
When we align with our authentic nature, we feel energized, empowered, and alive. The soul recognizes truth.
For me, that truth led to a spiritual practice, and the pursuit of self-realization gave me an understanding of my life's deeper purpose. This alone has given my existence meaning.
The questions that will change your life
What if your crisis—whether it's an accident, illness, job loss, or simple midlife restlessness—is your soul's way of calling you home to yourself?
What if the very thing that feels like it's breaking you is actually breaking you open to who you're meant to be?
What questions is your life asking you to explore?
I'd love to hear about the questions that are emerging in your journey. What is your soul calling you toward?