We all want to live a fulfilling life, and in this sense, having a life that is harmonious and stable is of imperative importance. See, we all enjoy the fireworks of life, such as the fun nights out, romantic holidays and the like. But these are often short bursts of happiness that don’t mean as much if you’re not operating from a stable base of having a harmonious life.
In psychology, there’s something known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which expands on this principle. It states a hierarchy of emotional, physical and practical needs that must be met in order to feel fulfilled in life.
Whilst this can be an interesting model to look into, this article offers a lighter insight into practical things you can do create a more fulfilling life.
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HOME
Having a solid sense of home is imperative to a more fulfilling life. If you think about what home is, it’s ultimately a feeling of security, safety and belonging that makes you “feel at home”. It’s not necessarily living in the fanciest house with most opulent fixtures and fittings or magazine worthy interior design.
Home is a “safe place” that should be somewhere you feel peaceful, comfortable and grounded. In this sense, keeping on top of your home is pretty important as it’s hard to feel at peace when your home is untidy or cluttered.
The saying “tidy house tidy mind” rings true with most people. Many find it much easier to feel good about life when they are living in a clutter free environment. If you’ve ever been in a situation where the washing up is piling up on the counter, then whilst it isn’t a big deal, in the real world – the emotional impact of this can be disproportionately high and affect other areas of life.
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FINANCE
Whilst it’s not necessary to be rich in order to live a fulfilling life, it is important you have an income that is under your control. In addition, being in control of your financial situation – even if you’re in debt – is paramount to feeling fulfilled in life.
See, a lot of times financial situations can feel like a snowball rolling down a mountain side, getting more and more out of control. And when this happens, we tend to bury our head in the sand as we can’t cope with the increasing stress of the situation.
That said, one of the most important things we can do to feel good about ourselves and live a more fulfilling life is to keep on top of our finances. And the essential ingredient to this is a feeling of being in control. Both in terms of of the income you bring in and in terms of the management of your financial situation.
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EDUCATION
There are many ways to learn, and education isn’t limited to an academic course at a university. The key to a more fulfilling life is a feeling of progress. That could be studying an electrical engineering degree or learning how to make a particular backdrop for your fashion vlog. Learning is learning, and the more we feel we are making progress, the better we feel about ourselves and the more fulfilling our life becomes.
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HEALTH & WELLBEING
Many people consider health and wellbeing to be at the foundation of a fulfilling life. Yet so often we find ourselves taking our state of health for granted until it’s diminished. And it’s only at that point we tend to appreciate what we had all along.
Therefore, in addition to taking care of your health you also want to take the time to appreciate the gift of health that most people take for granted.
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PERSONAL APPEARANCE
The better you feel about yourself, the more fulfilling your life will become. And whilst there are daily maintenance tasks such as brushing our teeth that we all should be engaging in, there are little treats such as facials we should have once in a while to keep on top of our appearance, particularly as our skincare changes with ageing.
Then, in addition to your physical appearance, the clothes you wear convey who you are on the inside. So being comfortable and confident with your own unique sense of style is important. As the more you feel like you are expressing who you truly are, the more fulfilled you will feel within yourself.
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YOU TIME
If you’re depleted and exhausted then life is not going to feel fulfilling. Moreover, you enter a vicious cycle where you end up being grumpy and irritable with the people you love. So taking time out for yourself is vitally important. Whether this is a regular exercise class, indulging in a particularly hobby, or simply having a candle lit bath with your favourite box set playing on your laptop.
Similarly, in addition to “you time”, if you’re in a relationship then you’ll want to make some “together time” too. As often the fun, laughter and intimacy can evaporate from a relationship if it is not tended to. Like a fire, it needs fuel in order to keep alight.
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MINDSET & EMOTIONS
Fulfilment has a tendency to work from the outside in. Which means no matter how good your circumstances are on the outside, if on the inside, you feel lousy then you will not be fulfilled.
Mastering your mindset in this sense, is critical to fulfilment, as the thoughts you think create the feelings that you experience, which ultimately create your life experience. So be sure to shift your focus on the positive, spend time appreciating rather than complaining, and be gentle with yourself.
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LEARN TO LOVE YOURSELF
The majority of people, today, when you scrape beneath the surface seem to be suffering from a lack of self-esteem or self-worth. In this sense, more self-acceptance is the remedy which means loving yourself the way you are. And not setting up rules such as “I will feel good about myself when X happens…”
There’s a tendency to look to the outside world to fill an inner void, which almost always fails to work. For instance, we feel unappreciated and lonely, therefore, we indulge in a shopping trip to take the edge of these feelings.
Now, we’re all guilty of distracting ourselves from time to time, but distraction can become unhealthy, if it leads to a dissociation from how we truly feel inside. The best way to feel better is to acknowledge the feeling exists and then ask yourself a question – what needs to happen in order to feel better… then listen… it’s as simple as that.
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STOP DOING THAT WHICH HURTS YOU
We are often stuck in a trap where we keep doing the same things but somehow expect different results. When you think of the metaphor of having physical pain, there’s usually something that triggers this pain, aggravating it, and similarly there are things that soothe the pain too. In a nutshell, you simply want to stop doing the things that are hurting you, and this way, you will have a more fulfilling life.
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GET RID OF NEGATIVE PEOPLE
In that vein, there are sometimes negative and depleting people in life that we hang around, either through choice (e.g. friends) or necessity (e.g. family). If you want to have a more fulfilling life then you need to get around more positive, nourishing and encouraging people that have the capacity to support you rather than drain and deplete you.
In summary, creating a more fulfilling life is often about feeling in control of yourself and nourishing yourself from the inside out. It is about making progress, feeling good about your body, eating healthy food, and taking the time you need to relax.
How do you create a more fulfilling life?
*Collaborative post.
