02 Feb 2026
46m

How to Design a More Meaningful Life (with Dave Evans and Bill Burnett)

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The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

The podcast explores how to design a more meaningful life by focusing on small, beautiful moments rather than chasing grand achievements. Dave Evans and Bill Burnett, from the Stanford Life Design Lab, introduce design thinking as a human-centered approach to personal growth, emphasizing that individuals are constantly "becoming." They advocate for radical acceptance of reality, even in painful situations like grief, as demonstrated by Evans' experience with his wife's terminal illness. The discussion contrasts the "transactional world" of goal-oriented tasks with the "flow world" of present moment awareness, suggesting techniques like savoring and community-building to switch between them. Ultimately, the key is to seek "meaning in life" through wonder, coherence, and formative relationships, rather than pursuing the elusive "meaning of life."

Outlines

Part 1: Mindset, Life Design

Part 2: Acceptance, Perspective, Meaning

Part 3: Flow, Wonder, Presence

Part 4: Community, Connection

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