"Don't figure out, find out."

Here's the situation: You are parachuted behind enemy lines with the most important mission you've ever had. Your commander tells you all about it just before you jump out of the plane. He gives you directions, tells you what your primary target is, and says "Good luck." Just as you jump out, he yells something at you: "Just don't screw it up!"

But there's just one problem. When you hit the ground, you can't remember what he told you. None if it. Nada. Zippo. Zilch. You must have hit your head on the way down or something. You wander around, gathering up your parachute, rubbing the sore spot on your head, thinking, "Now what was it I was supposed to do...?"  Does it sound far-fetched? Or does it sound perhaps familiar? Almost all of us feel like there's some very important reason for being on this planet, but for the life of us, we can't remember what it was.

(SKS tenet: We are each born into the world like amnesiacs. Before we do anything or make any major decisions, it's a good idea to ask ourselves, "Now, what's the purpose of all this, exactly? And what should I be doing here?")

You start digging through the pockets of your jacket, looking for something that might give you a clue. Nothing there. You decide to sit down and think about the situation for a long time, trying to remember what the captain said by re-tracing your steps. "Was there something about an...elephant involved?"

(SKS tenet: The search for meaning begins with a search of the Self. Examine your resources. Examine who you are, and where you came from—this might offer you some insight. Do some introspection, do some reading. You'll soon find out that the greatest minds of all time are all saying essentially the same thing: "Know thyself.")

BUT, it's not helping. You just can't remember your mission. So you stand up, brush yourself off, and with a shrug, walk in the direction of the enemy. Something has to come to you...

(SKS tenet: You can sit around and think about things forever, and never get anywhere. You'll get stuck in a "paralysis of analysis," so busy thinking things out that you never take any action. This is especially easy to do in a search for deeper spiritual meaning, because there are so many books out there to read, so many things to learn, that you could read all your life but never start living. At some point, you have to get up, and march forward.)