What Does It Mean To Feel Fulfilled In Life?

 

Everyone has their definition of what being fulfilled looks and feels like. I truly believe that feeling fulfilled is the result of finding inner peace. Detaching ourselves from external validators and putting the focus on internal triggers means that the feeling of fulfilment is in our hands. We often measure success through our career or lifestyle, but material items don’t necessarily bring happiness or fulfilment. You can have excess wealth and possessions as well as be outwardly successful, yet not feel completely fulfilled. Rather than seeking external success, it’s important that we look inwards and focus on what makes us happy and brings us joy. 

 

Why Does Fulfilment Matter?

 

When we don’t feel fulfilled, we can feel disconnected and unengaged from the world around us. It is often much harder to meet our full potential and find the path that makes us happy when we recognize that something is missing.

 

If we’re living in a way that is aligned with our core values, we naturally move through life in a direction that feels true to who we are. Putting forth our best selves starts with knowing that we are the best versions of ourselves that we can be, and this often comes with feeling fulfilled in our goals and within ourselves. 

 

Why Fulfilment And Self-Worth Are Deep-Seated Needs

 

Personal worth is a vital part of feeling fulfilled in life and part of the self-esteem level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This hierarchy dictates that there are 5 levels that each individual needs to feel fulfilled in one’s life. Within this hierarchy are physiological needs, personal and safety needs, love and belonging needs, self-esteem and self-actualization needs. According to this hierarchy, if one level of need is not met, there is a gap in the level of fulfilment we feel. We often need to feel respected and appreciated for the work we do and valued by others for the contribution we make. What matters most is that we address our own internal needs first before we look to others to fulfil our needs for us.

 

Giving Back And Making An Impact On The World

 

When our lives are fully aligned with our purpose it allows us to create a meaningful difference in the world rather than comply with someone else’s expectations and makes it much easier to live a more fulfilled life.

 

True fulfilment doesn’t come from only serving our own needs. It comes from serving others and contributing to other communities, whether this be on a local or global basis. Society would be an empty shell without people exchanging energy by giving to those most in need. 

In this way, we’re not seeking a reward for the contribution we’re making other than the knowledge that we’re transforming the lives of others and making a genuine impact on the world. We are fulfilling a greater purpose beyond ourselves and giving to others because of the privilege we may have in our own lives.

 

My work with Africa Angels in The Gambia stems from this desire to make the world a better place and support children who have very little. Through this, I have realised that it’s not what you have, but what you choose to do with what you have.

 

Demonstrate Gratitude

 

Working with people who are less fortunate than we may be, can teach us how to be more humble while simultaneously offering us a big reality check. Working with Africa Angels has taught me so much about this as these children have so little, yet they are eager to learn and thrive.

I urge you all to be thankful for what you have and to demonstrate a bit of that gratitude towards others who might need some TLC. You may be surprised at how much fulfilment you get just by helping out others. 

 

Personal Growth/Self-Actualisation

 

At the very peak of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is self-actualisation, which is often characterised by personal growth and the meeting of one’s full potential. This can be achieved by knowing internally that one has reached this summit, or through external validation. 

Living a more fulfilled life enables you to expand what you already have in your own life and enrich it.

 

Finding Fulfilment Is An Inside Job

 

When happiness comes from within us, we aren’t waiting to achieve the ‘right’ success before we can feel fulfilled. Recognizing what fulfilment means to us, individually, means that we can work on growing and improving ourselves and others regularly. In Vedanta, the path to fulfilment is to experience one’s true nature, as true fulfilment means having nothing unfulfilled.