If you knew when you were going to die, would you be doing what you are doing this very moment? It’s a serious question and it may sound a little morbid. However, the truth is that you never really know when your time is up. My father-in-law passed away last week and it was another stark reminder for me of our impermanence.
So knowing that you maybe have 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or even 60 years left to live, what will you do with your time? Given that I am in my late 40s, I expect to have at least another 30 years left to live. That is only 10,950 days and my focus is not to live those days in the pursuit of happiness. It is with a focus on fulfilment that I will be spending these remaining days.
I am not knocking happiness. Happiness is fabulous. It is just that happiness is temporary. It comes and goes and is not a sustainable emotion. Many people spend their entire lives in the pursuit of happiness and infallibly fall short. Ironically, if the shift of focus moves to the pursuit of fulfilment, where activities are filled with meaning and purpose-driven, happiness will naturally be experienced too.
Fulfilment is different to happiness. It runs much deeper. It is a state of being not a feeling. It brings significance and provides deep joy and a sense of purpose. Happiness is WHAT you do. Fulfilment is WHY you do WHAT you do.
The fulfilment piece is often the missing jigsaw piece to many people’s life puzzle. They may even spend their lifetime looking for it only to realise it was with them all the time.
It is through your contribution to the world aligned with your values, passions and talents that fulfilment will be found within. You flourish when you connect to your inner self and are of service to others. Fulfilment is found within your life’s work.
So what’s important to you? Where can you direct your influence? What are your core values? Are they being prioritised and aligned with your life’s work? Challenge whether your beliefs are actually yours and serving you or whether they are societal expectations.
What cause do you champion? How could you collectively join forces to correct a crisis in the world?
When you channel your contribution and commit to doing something meaningful every day to effect change on a local, national or even global scale, you achieve fulfilment.
When you live with intention and purpose, fulfilment is a constant and happiness will flow in waves.
Enjoy your life’s work.
Live a life of your choosing with compassion.
Be committed to solving a problem.
Have the courage to seek the solution.
Focus on Fulfilment.
Amy
ACTION POINT - Pursue fulfilment. What problem will you commit to solving today?