We live in an era that dictates that we’re not enough and that happiness comes from things external to us. This type of thinking causes us to want more all the time. We feel we have to work harder, pursue more, and acquire more material goods. Unfortunately, this obsession can lead to a lot of stress.
Sometimes we can find ourselves so caught up in chasing after something, whether it’s money, fame, or status, that we lose sight of what we’re chasing. Then, when we finally get the wealth that we thought we wanted, we realize we don’t care about it at all.
Some people say that to achieve fulfillment, we have to stop chasing after the things we think will make us feel fulfilled. However, this isn’t always possible. If you’ve grown up in a culture that promotes having “more,” it can be hard to break free from this mentality.
However, there are small steps you can take each day that can help you achieve fulfillment.
Try these techniques:
- Determine your core values. Your core values are the things that make you feel complete and worthwhile as a person. These are the things that you’re most passionate about and that you believe firmly in.
– For example, if you have honesty as one of your core values, living a life of integrity would be necessary. You will not want to lie or cheat or steal and might even make a point of not gossiping or spreading rumors.
– Determining your core values helps you achieve personal fulfillment by aligning your behaviors and actions with what matters to you. - Force yourself to grow each day. The interesting thing about human nature is that we are never satisfied. We are constantly evolving, changing, and improving.
– When you find yourself procrastinating or avoiding doing something good for yourself, force yourself to do it. Getting healthy, for example, can be very challenging, but the benefits are well worth it.
– Choose to open yourself up to new hobbies or activities or to increase the scope of your old ones, and you will start to see positive changes in your life. - Visualize what success means to you. When your success is in the future, it can seem very abstract. But when you have a clear idea of what success means to you when you are there, it will often help you overcome your resistance.
– Instead of saying that “I’m going to lose weight,” say, “I will lose 5 pounds by January 1.” Having a concrete goal for what you want to achieve will help you be more motivated to take action to get there.
– Interestingly, many successful people today used visualization to help them achieve their goals. You can do the same to attain a sense of personal fulfillment. - Uncover your hopes and ambitions. We all have dreams and things that we hope for in our lives. However, they often remain buried underneath layers of resistance and denial. By setting aside some time and thinking about it, you can learn more about your desires and dreams and tap into your true potential.
– For example, what types of things would you like to do? What sort of work would you like to do? What kind of people would you like to associate with? By writing down your answers to these questions, you can clarify what you want and what you need to do to get it.
Remember, true personal fulfillment comes from within, not chasing after things impossible to obtain. You can change your life today by simply choosing to be different.