There are a lot of books about how to live a good life. I’ve read many of them in the self-development section at the bookstore. From books on secure attachment to ones on how to become financially successful. 

But the best book on creating a meaningful life I've found is The Meaning of Your Life by Arthur Brooks. Caveat: I’m only half way through the book.

For a few reasons:

• Reason #1: He actually tackles the meaning of your life instead of feeding you substitutes for finding your own meaningful life such as how to get into good schools, how to be successful in your career, how to be financially successful, how to improve your relationships, how to improve yourself - achieve your goals, be more productive. One’s meaning in life is personal, different from person to person. So to tackle this subject with brutal honesty means you can’t give someone a step by step guide to finding their meaning. You may follow the steps and be as lost as possible. I just really admire him for trying.

• Reason #2: Despite point number one above. I think his steps are actually really helpful. Like I said it’s honest. For example, he says if your work isn’t meaningful, quit your job. But obviously be responsible when quitting your job.

• Reason #3: It gave me a lot to think about. He includes a quiz at the beginning of the book that gives you a score on meaning and presence. And my score added up to a perpetually seeker. He also scored as a seeker. And his mirror to this type is that we might continue seeking our meaning even if we’ve got a good idea about what it is. And that stung a little bit. Perpetually seeking in my case is avoiding the fears that come with pursuing the meaningful life that you know you want.