What Does a Life of Fulfillment Mean?

For many years I didn’t understand what it meant to live a life of fulfillment. I’ve come to learn many people have no idea what it means either. When I asked the questio “What does a life of fulfillment mean to you?” the most common response I get is “Living a life of fulfillment means living a life of happiness.”

I don’t know about you, but for me I’ve never had a time in my life when I was happy every day, all the time. How about you? Can you image living everyday of your life being happy? Really? People would think you were living in your own world.

For me and many people in my realm the answer is much different. We believe living a life of fulfillment means living a life true to our values. Some values are ranked higher on our priority list than others. You know the ones you can’t live without. If you do live without your important values you’ll find yourself feeling disappointed, angry and frustrated.

Let me share a little story and then you’ll understand better what I mean. Some very important values for me are Family, Nurturing, Commitment, Integrity and Dedication. Years ago both my parents health had taken a turn for the worse and from that time on our lives would never be the same.

I spent about 10 years taking care of my parents making sure I respected their wishes, and took care of them with dignity. It was like our roles had changed. I was the parent to my parents. I can assure you there was nothing happy about those horrible years. They were daunting, stressful and draining for me.

Throughout those challenging years, though, I did not dishonor my values. Without a doubt, I lived true to my values and stuck to them, and I’m so glad I did. And because I did and because I continue to live my values, I live a life of fulfillment.

Are you living your life of fulfillment? Right now is a great time to check in with yourself and find out. If you’re not happy with your life and relationships I would encourage you to try some of the tips below.

1. Write down on a piece of paper some of the areas of your personal life that aren’t going so well.
2. Make a list of your values and then prioritize them. Underline your values you can’t live without.
3. Don’t delay any longer, start living everyday to your highest priority values.
4. Remember, take baby steps. You can do it!
5. During the day, check in with yourself and see if you’re still on track living to those few important values.
6. At the end of the day notice what was different for you and write it down.
7. Commit to living to your values and you’ll live a fulfilled life.

Are you ready to give it a try? Good for you!