Being Fulfilled: 10 Guidelines for Feeling Great
Being fulfilled, satisfied or happy because of fully developing one’s abilities or character.
Being fulfilled is one of my requirements for leading a happy life. I focus on the “fill” in “fulfilled.” We feel whole when we experience a state of fulfilment – getting closer to realizing our potential.
I specify “getting closer” because I believe it can take an entire lifetime to realize our full potential. It’s a process. Having said that, it is possible to experience doses of fulfilment along the way. Please keep this in mind when I refer to fulfilment in this article.
Here are some guidelines for being fulfilled:
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Know Yourself Take inventory of your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t berate yourself for not being perfect. Focus on what you do well and work on the things you can improve upon. I can definitely improve my relationship with deli meats. Only you can set the parameters for your fulfilment. Be honest with yourself! Stay Connected We all have a natural inclination to connect – that’s part of the human makeup. Millions of years ago, survival depended on being committed to the group. Needless to say, maintaining healthy social networks is an important guideline for being fulfilled. I encourage you to prioritize spending time with the people you love …. even family! |
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Believe In Yourself
Unfulfilled people often complain about their lives and tend to have low self-esteem. They don’t expect things to go well for themselves and they remain deeply entrenched in their unhappiness.
Fulfilled people, on the other hand, have solid self-esteem and confidence that life is pretty good. They inject positivity into everything. They also tend to be more successful. It’s a wonderful cycle where confidence breeds more success, more confidence, more happiness, and more fulfilment. Wash, rinse, repeat. Maybe add a little fabric softener to keep the ego in check.
Be Grateful
Fulfilled people take stock of their blessings. They focus on all that they have and pay little, if any attention to what may be missing. Remember, the glass is not empty – it’s half full. Take time and write down all of your accomplishments and the people you have in your life. If you don’t have family, consider your friends as family. Never lose sight of this. Gratitude is an excellent habit to cultivate. Gratitude is energizing and positive. It generates its own momentum. The more you focus on gratitude, the more grateful and enriched you feel. Talk about return on investment! I’m grateful for Melissa not feeding me with a slingshot for not eating my vegetables.
Define Your Purpose
What aligns with your values? How do you define success? Is it a realistic and fair definition? What brings you satisfaction?
Accept The Present Moment
If you’re stuck, make peace with your current state in life. Acknowledge it. Know that it is temporary and will change for the better. Keep your chin up, stay positive, and stop shoveling poop against the tide. Instead of going with the flow, strive to become the water itself.
Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
For me, part of being fulfilled involves pushing myself and overcoming new obstacles. It usually involves doing new things. Commit yourself to this. Otherwise, you will stay stationary in life. Stationary = Not Fulfilled. I hope you have found these guidelines for being fulfilled helpful. I encourage you to follow them and make them part of your daily routine. It does get easier. Here’s to feeling full… ~ Ted
Being Fulfilled: 10 Guidelines for Feeling Great ~parts adapted via TonyRobbins.com
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1. START SMALL To grasp how to feel fulfilled in life, it’s okay to take baby steps. You probably won’t be able to build an unshakeable sense of fulfillment overnight, but with consistent effort, feeling fulfilled can become your new norm. Even when you’re starting small, remember to set goals and stick to them. Every small action you take adds up to greater fulfillment. |
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2. CULTIVATE POSITIVE EMOTIONS
No one is happy all the time – but you can feel fulfilled all the time. Cultivate positive emotions like joy and gratitude by choosing to focus on the good. Stop overanalyzing. Appreciate the abundance in your life. Positive thinking will transform your entire perspective on life.
Changing your physiology can even affect your emotions. Smile, even when you don’t want to – you’ll trick your brain into believing you’re joyful. Throw your shoulders back and adopt a power pose – you’ll instantly feel more confident.
3. LET GO OF THE PAST
It isn’t easy to let go of the past, but it is essential for finding fulfillment. Recognize that while your past made you who you are, you don’t have to live there.
Forgiveness is a healing force in our lives and a powerful element in finding fulfillment in life. Holding on to blame and guilt – toward others and yourself – only causes pain and suffering. Release those emotions and you will be free from negativity.
4. CHOOSE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS CAREFULLY
Understanding how to feel fulfilled centers on the fact that humans are social creatures. When you surround yourself with people who bring you down, your focus will be drawn to the negative. When you surround yourself with positive people, you feel uplifted and inspired.
This is the power of proximity: You become whom you associate with. If you want extraordinary relationships, not mediocre or destructive ones, learn to use it to your advantage.
5. STICK TO YOUR VALUES
Our beliefs create our world:
- What are your values and beliefs?
- Are you living in a way that is true to them?
- Have you achieved your goals in life in an ethical and honest manner?
In the search for contentment, it’s tempting to compromise your values to get a fleeting sense of fulfillment. But if you’re acting against your values, the feeling of fulfillment is false and won’t last. When you’re true to yourself, you can trust that when you find what you’re seeking, it’s the real thing.
6. FIND BALANCE IN LIFE
Perfection is the enemy of happiness. You know you can never achieve perfection. If you continue to seek it out, that prevents you from finding fulfillment. Life isn’t about being perfect. It’s about living.
Rather than drift to extremes – perfection on one end and sloppiness on the other – learning how to feel fulfilled means living in the middle. Align your life with your values, give it your best effort and be content with the results.
7. ACCEPT WHAT YOU CAN’T CHANGE
Like perfectionism, the need to control everything in life only leads to frustration. There are many things you’ll never be able to control: the weather, traffic, outside events and especially the choices other people make.
Part of building relationships and feeling fulfilled means focusing on your own actions. You can improve almost any situation through your own choices, but you can’t control someone else’s actions.
8. TAKE A TIME OUT
We all have blueprints for our happiness. We work and work to earn the big salary, buy the fancy car and get the house with the two-car garage. But when we finally reach our material goals, we still feel like something is missing.
Don’t get caught up in the rat race, only to look around once you reach the top and finally wonder how to feel fulfilled. Fulfillment starts today. Take a break to do something you enjoy. Spend time on self-care and family activities. Go on vacation.
9. BE FULLY PRESENT
As you’re vacationing or spending time with family, ask yourself if you are being present. Are you practicing deep listening with your loved ones? Are you taking the time to notice the beauty all around you?
Every moment you live in the past is a moment you waste in the present. The past is done, and the future is never guaranteed. Allow yourself to be fully present in the moment. Put down your phone and connect with the people you love. These are the moments you’ll remember when you look back on your life.
10. GIVE BACK
Contribution is one of the Six Human Needs and can have a massive impact on your ability to feel fulfilled. There is no better way to feel gratitude for everything you have than to spend time with those who are struggling. Whether you volunteer, give to those less fortunate or mentor a young person, when you lift up others, you lift yourself up as well.
Being Fulfilled and More Self-Esteem Goodness Being Fulfilled Being Fulfilled