Living a fulfilled life…

Almost every one of us wants to (or at least desires to) live a fulfilled life. The problem is with our understanding of “fulfillment.” If you embrace someone else’s definition of fulfillment, you will end up disenchanted sooner or later, because, it has to be your own conviction and idea of “fulfillment” for you to even find it a worthy path!

With that said, I have thrown in a few suggestions…to start with.

. Be Kind
Being kind is nothing special, yet kindness is special. It can be as simple as stopping to exchange pleasantries with a neighbour or checking up on a neighbour that you haven’t seen in a long while. Learn to treat people as you would like to be treated, because all humanity needs kindness.

. Become a lifelong learner
It is not enough to ‘learn’. You also need to incorporate the lessons you learn into your own life.
If you do this, you will see your life transform in more ways than you can ever imagine.

. Take care of your body
The better you take care of your body, the better you will feel. When you exercise regularly and feed well, not only will you have more energy, you will also feel good and have more clarity and sense of purpose.

. Face your fears
Everyone has things that they are afraid of and these fears are often ‘fear of the unknown’. The truth of the matter is that when you face your fears, they melt away. So face your fears and go after what you truly want. Our fears are never as big as our minds conjure them up to be. It’s all in the mind…most times!

. Live life with an open mind
Throughout our lives, we’ve picked up ideas of doing things that aren’t helpful anymore. One who goes through life with a mental rigidity is bound to offend humanity. In the course of growing up, a lot of us picked up toxicity of the mind and attitude. So, take it upon yourself to truly ‘unlearn and re-learn’ as you go through life.

. Find and follow your passion
Don’t be afraid to dream big. If you’ve always visualised being a world-renowned somebody, then go for it.
It may come to pass, or it may lead you onto another path that may be even more fulfilling than the one you thought you wanted. Life has a way of surprising us.

. Simplify your life…
There’s no need to clutter up your life. When you simplify and get rid of the stuff that you don’t need, you will feel more clear and better about yourself. You don’t have to keep harbouring stuff/people who drain you or derail you from the path that you have chosen to walk on.

. Be Yourself
We are fast learning that being yourself isn’t it, anymore. But you cannot NOT be yourself, because that’s what and who you are (first and foremost!). And the only way you can live a fulfilled life is by being YOU. I can only add that you work towards becoming the BEST version of yourself.

. Focus on your strengths
Life is too short to worry about things that you’re not good at, and may not even like. But you don’t have to keep dwelling on your weaknesses, when you can just focus on your strengths and become exceptional.

. Kill Perfectionism
Don’t let perfectionism kill your dreams; it has killed many. It isn’t until you fail and make mistakes that you begin learning what works and what doesn’t work for YOU. Each of us has to travel our path to discover what truly works and doesn’t work for us.

. Embrace YOU in totality…
Don’t hold yourself back from exploring all of you…warts and all. You aren’t going to feel fulfilled until you embrace and accept the entirety of your being. True self-discovery begins with the acceptance of WHO you are. However, if the ‘core you’ is going to be a dampener on your life path, seek help through counseling or therapy. Living a ‘closet life’ is a burden to mental health.

. Surround Yourself with Like Minds…
Most times, your life reflects the calibre of people in your space. Always set boundaries for what/whom you allow into your life.

. Find positivity in every negativity…
Often, the most negative events in our lives end up teaching us valuable lessons that come in handy…down the road. When you are experiencing negativity, it may not feel like it is there for a reason, but it (always) is.

. Feel life
Above all, remember to ‘feel’ life and smell the roses. As you chase your dreams, sometimes stop to appreciate how far you have come. And be grateful. You can always want more, but learn to appreciate what you already have.