I can't help but notice how happiness seems to be everyone's
highest priority. Lately, I've been considering the possibility that what
people actually want is not happiness. The elusiveness and ambiguity of
happiness causes suffering as we strive to find it. Meanwhile, people who live
meaningful and purposeful lives seem to be better off than the happiness
seekers. Perhaps, what we really want is fulfillment--the feeling of fullness
we get when we look around and things seem to make sense, someone needs us, we
contribute and surround ourselves with what matters most to us.
If this rings true, than you need to look into several
distinct areas in your life and evaluate yourself on your situation there.
1) Your physical body. You can't get too far in life without
a healthy body. If the body is not healthy your time and energy is spent
driving to and from the doctor's office, worrying, complaining, and paying Big
Pharma for questionable cures. You also deny yourself tons of experience
because you simply can't do them. With a healthy body you can participate in
life to the fullest. Clearly yoga is one of the best ways to get a healthy
body.
2) Your emotional body. What good is a life full of
awesomeness if you can't count your blessings? Seriously, an attitude of
gratitude goes a long way! Working on the scars past experiences have left on
your psyche goes even further. Mental health is in crisis in this country. How
can this be when we have so many resources? Take advantage of them. Yoga can
help develop mindfulness and help you identify where you are stuck.
3) Your relationships. Yep, if your relationships suck,
everything sucks. Evaluate your relations and make a decision who to keep in
your life and who to let go of so you can move on. You are the average of the
five people you hang out with the most...find some good people to hang out
with.
4) Your work. What you do should not be just a way to make a
pay check so you can pay your bills. If you spend at least 40 hours per week
working, plus commute time, you are spending a huge portion of your life! A pay
check is necessary and you may have to do anything you can to get it, but being
selective in your work will pay you in a sense of growth, fulfillment, and
motivation to continue. Choose wisely.
5) Your finances. If you can't balance your check book, if
you have to borrow money constantly, if you have no savings, you are living on
the thin edge of instability and insecurity. It takes a toll on you. It makes
you do things you otherwise would not - like take meaningless jobs just to pay
the rent, or get mixed up with the wrong crowd all together. Financial health,
on the other hand, gives you space to breathe and room to be creative, choosy,
and take care of your needs. It gives you independence.
6) What you contribute. If you are not giving, you are not
living. You have to find a place where you can be useful beyond your own
pleasure and convenience. To live for yourself only is a very small life. To live
for others, to make a difference in another's life, to offer of yourself makes
you feel bigger than your problems and your little world. It expands your
capacity for compassion. It opens you up to new experiences, more gratitude,
more humility, more life.
And that's that... It's what i do--help people find
fulfillment through addressing what needs improvement from the areas above.
Ever feel like you need me, just contact me at (805) 242-3181, info@thisfulfillinglife.com.
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Follow this blog and keep in touch!
