Douglas: Welcome to the Unleash Your Potential Blog, what question can I answer for you today?
AimAssure: How can I create a more fulfilling life?
Douglas: What a wonderful question! This is just a personal opinion, but I think it is the most important question and we should be asking it every single day. Imagine what it would be like to live each day in service of fulfillment. The best part is that fulfillment is going to look different for each of us and there is no universal correct answer. The key is to know what fulfills you. When you are actively living a fulfilling life, every day can be a celebration, and what better way to celebrate than with a PARADE? With that, I offer you the:
6 Keys to Living a Fulfilling Life
Practice Gratitude – Life is more fulfilling when we realize all of the good things we already have. Start your day AND take time throughout the day to recognize all the positive things that happen. I am a spiritual person so every morning I start the day and at the beginning of each prayer I thank God for the good things in creation and my life. You can accomplish this however it makes sense to you, but start the day being grateful for what you already have. Challenge yourself to find new things every day. What happened yesterday that you are grateful for?
Accept Responsibility – There is only one person responsible for whether or not you lead a fulfilling life. That’s right, it's YOU! If you want to lead a fulfilling life you need to accept that you have full control of what happens in your life. I am not saying there will not be challenges and setbacks, but you have the power to choose how you react to each setback and the feeling you experience during the challenging times. You also are completely in control of how you feel during the moments of success. Do you encounter success but focus on the challenging moments or failure or do you meet that success with a celebration and let it propel you through the next set of challenges? Either way, you are in control!
Respect Yourself – In your quest to lead a fulfilling life, the most important person you need to take care of is you. And that care needs to start with respecting yourself. Treat yourself with dignity at all times. Respect has many facets and if you struggle to figure out what that means, consider how you would show respect to someone precious to you. Whether it is a parent, spouse, child, or friend, who are the people you respect? How do you show them respect? Treat yourself the same way!
Allow for Grace – This one is difficult for a lot of people. We have to allow ourselves to encounter difficult times and be patient through our failures. No matter how many times we experience failure, it does not make us a failure, and giving ourselves grace is acknowledging that failure does not define us. We can and do make mistakes and that is okay. A fulfilling life is not absent of failure and disappointment, but one where we experience it and have the grace to move past it in grow from it.
Do What Matters – If you look back at the end of a truly fulfilling life, you will be able to reflect and say, “Yes, I did the things that mattered!” Every day we need to do the things that matter. You have to decide what matters to you (because it is different for each of us) and make sure that you are always pursuing it. You may have to go through some tough times to get there, but if it matters, the struggle will always have been worth it. Maybe, like me, getting an advanced degree matters to you. Go for it! It will be challenging. There will be many points when you feel like you can’t do it. But I assure you, if it matters when you finally achieve it, all the tears will have been worth it.
Engage with Enriching People – If you want to lead a fulfilling life, surround yourself with people who enrich you. Fill the space around you with people who build you up. Success and positivity are contagious, as are doubt and negativity. Your circle of people has the power to draw you in both directions. Which direction would you rather go? Deliberately spend time with people who inspire you to be a better person. Engage with people who seek to celebrate successes instead of pine about challenges. Who do you need in your tribe?
In the 1964 Broadway musical, Hello Dolly! The main character Dolly Levi (made famous by Barbara Streisand) sings, Before the Parade Passes By where she decides to live her life to the fullest before it is too late. If you don’t know the song, I encourage you to give it a listen, it is wonderfully empowering and Barbara does an excellent job. I bring it up here at the close to remind you to use your PARADE to live a more fulfilling life!
I hope my answer sheds some light on your question. If you want to dig into this concept further, I encourage you to reach out and set up a conversation. In the meantime, check back tomorrow for the next question in the Unleash Your Potential Series!
Be Well!
Comments