Living a fulfilled life is an awesome feeling, but unfortunately it’s a feeling that many have a hard time to find, mostly because they have no plan on how to achieve it. We tend to forget that a satisfying, fulfilled life includes all facets of life – family and friends, work, health, community, hobbies.
All those different aspects are an individual slice of your life and together they make the whole cake. If one of those pieces is missing from your life, you won’t be able to feel complete and fulfilled, so the question is, how can you make sure to tend to all those different slices so that you can live a life that you love and that fulfills you on a deep level?
The fancy car may give you a feeling of pride, esteem and power, the success in your career may make you feel like you are recognized and have arrive. The trip to Bali may make you feel like a world-class adventurer and losing 10 pounds may make you feel more desired. But ultimately, we are really searching for a certain experience we feel inside ourselves.
Here are our TOP 10 tips to lead a more happy and fulfilled life.
#1 Do What You Love
This sounds simple enough. You feel good when you do the things you love, so what do you love? Maybe you enjoy a walk in nature, maybe you love colorful flowers, stimulating conversations, dark chocolate, aromatic teas, quality time with family and friends, taking a yoga class… Make sure to fill your day with things that you love and fill you with joy. Find out what these things are then do them, create them and be them. On the flip side, stop doing things that make you miserable and create healthy boundaries.
#2 Do Things That Challenge You
While it is important to do the things you love and avoid the things that make you miserable, it is also hugely important to strive for and create new goals for yourself to provide motivation and inspiration. Whether that’s on a personal or professional level, make it a daily target to challenge yourself to do something new, learn something new or take on a new project. Nothing is quite as fulfilling than challenging yourself, reaching a goal and triumph. Everybody knows what an amazing feeling it is to create something from nothing, so go out and challenge yourself.
#3 Be of Service
Contributing to others gives us a deep sense of fulfillment. And we are not talking about donating money, but rather donating your time, the resource that is so much more precious than money. Numerous studies show that helping others leads to the most fulfillment in life, so if you are looking to lead a fulfilled life, contribute something to someone else. And an added bonus is that you create good karmic energy.
#4 Take Timeouts
Every now and then it’s a great idea to hit the pause button and simply soak up the moment. We all have busy, hectic lives balancing personal and professional life and keeping stress at bay. Take some time out of your busy day, stop and smell the roses. Find joy and beauty in everyday mundane things, which will allow you to experience countless little revelations and epiphanies that will broaden your horizon and make you grateful for the things we usually overlook on a day-to-day basis.
#5 Include Gratitude Into Your Daily Life
Gratitude is the foundation for fulfillment. In our consumption-driven society we are always lusting after a shiny new object, but true fulfillment comes for appreciating what we already have rather than chasing the attainment of things. Take a moment each day to count your blessings. Wake up in the morning and be grateful that you are alive. Enjoy the sunshine, be grateful for the smile of a stranger, marvel at the moon at night. Be grateful for all the wonderful people in your life and appreciate the little things.
#6 Find Balance
Sure, we are all pushing forward towards our goals to achieve success in life, but with all that striving for success, it’s easy to lose a sense of balance. However, without balance it’s very hard to find fulfillment. We often allow things we are passionate about to go forgotten while being focused on achieving our goals. But it is essential to being fulfilled to find balance in life and not be all work and no play at all. And if you are really busy, schedule 15 minutes a day where you do what you love to do. That’s all it takes.
#7 Learn Forgiveness
Without forgiveness we live in a state of anger that won’t allow fulfillment to enter our life. You spend all your emotional and mental energy focused on anger and hate, which is the opposite of a fulfilled life. Instead, focus your energy on forgiveness and move into a more joyful state of mind that will allow you to lead a fulfilled life. And while you learn to forgive others, make sure that you learn to forgive yourself for any mistakes you may have made in the past.
#8 Be Persistent
Sure, giving up is easy, but it will only lead to stress, frustration, guilt, fear and anxiety. Keep in mind, if you want to achieve something worthwhile, you have to be persistent and push through the challenges. Just imagine how satisfying and fulfilling it is when you push through rather than giving up. The feeling at the other end of a struggle is nothing short of amazing. So learn from the mistakes, overcome the obstacles and get back up when you fall. Push through the failures and keep your eye on the prize.
#9 Follow Your Gut
Sometimes we are in tune with our feelings but other times we have so many that we are completely overwhelmed and don’t know which one to follow. Listen to your gut. The gut is an incredible guide that sends us important messages that will lead to a fulfilled life. Learn to listen to your gut because the rational, reasonable, explained mind doesn’t always know what your inner needs are. Get in touch with your inner energy and you will be able to find a direction and lead a fulfilled life.
#10 Learn Acceptance
We all strive to feel good, but pleasure and happiness is only part of the equation. We have an array of emotions and feelings all throughout the day. Keep in mind, all our emotions and feelings come and go, whether they are pleasurable or not, so accept your emotional state and understand that life comes with good sensations and bad sensations. But make sure that you invoke the feelings that you want more of to be truly fulfilled.
We all have our ups and downs in life, but through it all, no matter what’s going on in our world, there are ways to feel more fulfilled in life and be happier, healthier and more energetic. And the best part is that you don’t have to put in a tremendous amount of effort. Be aware of what’s really important to you and focus on what you want in life.
FULFILLMENT IS WAITING FOR YOU
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked