freedom and meaning

When we think about freedom and meaning, we often focus on the external circumstances: money, career choices, relationships, or the ability to travel. While such things matter to most people, they don’t guarantee contentment, fulfillment, or a sense of purpose in life.

Philosophers and thinkers have suggested throughout our history that the real foundation of freedom and meaning lies in the quality of our thinking and mindset. However, this leaves out the question of whether these things are really achievable. If they are, then they are gifts that only very few people ever manage to obtain, and to do it, they have devoted their lives to a single cause or purposeful devotion.
Committing to such a journey requires more than most of us are willing or able to commit to, but in the context of modern life, there is still a lot we can achieve by looking inwards. Our attitude and mindset become the target of our focus, rather than the externals. This way we are paying attention to an aspect of our experience we can control.

Finding meaning

A core aspect of our experience is how we interpret events to make meaning. Psychologists refer to this as  attributional, or explanatory, style. This style is linked to well-being, with pessimistic attributional styles associated with depression and maladaptive outcomes, while an optimistic style can act as a protective factor.

Our mindset is the lens through which we interpret every event. Two people can live through the same situation – say, a job loss – and have entirely different experiences. One person might spiral into despair, seeing only limitations. Another might frame it as an opportunity to reinvent themselves. The difference isn’t luck or circumstance; it’s the way the mind makes meaning.

A prison of our own making

Freedom, at its core, isn’t just about doing what you want. It’s about not being imprisoned by your own unhelpful beliefs, fears, or inner criticism. If your thoughts are dominated by scarcity, resentment, fear, or self-doubt, no amount of external freedom will feel satisfying. On the other hand, if you cultivate awareness, gratitude, and resilience, you create a sense of spaciousness inside you that no external condition can fully take away.

This is why focusing on your mindset, your approach to life, is the necessary first step in the search for freedom and meaning . It gives you access to your internal world, which is the only thing you can truly control. Practices like reflection, reframing, and mindfulness aren’t vague, ‘soft skills’ – they are tools for training your mind. By shifting thought patterns you don’t necessarily avoid life’s challenges but, by learning to respond with intention rather than as a reflex, you can free yourself.

It has been said that we are “meaning making animals”. We are uncomfortable with uncertainty or ambiguity, so we are forced by our need to understand the reasons that things are as they are,’ to search for meaning, but this can deceive us.

Meaning also emerges from mindset. Leaving aside that most things don’t ‘mean’ anything, they just are, faced with uncertanty our mind scrambles to find an explanation. As Life doesn’t hand us this ready made, we must construct an explanation (meaning) through how we interpret experiences. Choosing to see challenges as growth opportunities or relationships as sources of purpose isn’t denial, it’s a deliberate act of the imagination.

Throughout our lives, our external world may set the stage, but our inner world writes the script. If you want real freedom and authentic meaning, you are advised to start with the thoughts you feed yourself, and the mindset that sustains you.

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I’m a psychologist, coach, and therapist. All my work is aimed at enabling people to improve personal aspects of their lives and work.

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