The Harsh Truth About Life’s Meaning (And Why It’s Your Job to Create It)
Earlier today, I was walking to the gym. It was cold. It was raining. The kind of weather most people curse under their breath and rush to escape.
But me? I was smiling.
Rain dripping down my face. Puddles splashing with every step. Clothes damp, body chilled, but my spirit? On fire.
Why?
Because in that moment, I wasn’t fighting life.
I wasn’t running from the cold, or the rain, or the discomfort. I was alive inside of it. And that’s when it hit me:
Most people aren’t really living. They’re just sleepwalking through a script someone else wrote for them.
They spend decades searching for “meaning.”
Hunting for “purpose.” Reading books. Following gurus. Copy pasting what their parents or their culture told them was the way.
But here’s the truth no one wants to say out loud:
Life is meaningless…
…until you decide to give it meaning.
And I don’t say that in some emo, nihilistic, “nothing matters” kind of way.
I say it as a man who’s found peace in the chaos, joy in the rain, clarity in confusion.
Right now, I’m looking out from my balcony. I see an old dude walking straight through a puddle. Doesn’t even flinch.
Across the road? Traffic is backed up. Horns blaring. People frustrated, boxed in.
And me? I’m above it, vibing. Talking to you.
This moment matters, because I said it does.
Let me bring it even closer to home. You ever been in the gym, not feeling it?
You’ve got two choices.
- Say, “I’m tired, maybe I’ll take it easy today.”
- Say, “I’m tired, which means I’ve been pushing. That means I’m growing. Let me push harder.”
Same situation. Two different meanings. Two different realities.
That’s the secret.
The filter you choose becomes the life you live.
And so I ask you what’s your filter?
What do YOU say life means?
What does your tiredness mean? What does your struggle mean? What does your family, your dream, your day, what do they mean to you?
Because if you don’t define it, someone else will.
And 9 times outta 10, their definition will chain you to mediocrity. They’ll sell you safety. They’ll offer you a seat in the sleepwalk parade.
But I’m not here for that.
I’m here to build. To speak. To bring light to the forgotten ones.
I’m here to show you that you can build a legacy, love God unapologetically, create a family that thrives, and live with actual freedom.
But that’s my meaning. That’s the life I chose.
Now it’s your turn.
You can choose comfort. Or you can choose clarity.
You can repeat what the world told you. Or you can define what your world means.
Either way, it’s your life.
So live it like it matters.
Because once you do… it will.
Always the best,
Dylan Madden
