10 Secrets to Living a Fulfilling Life

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There are moments when we are left wondering if the life we are living is truly fulfilling. During these times, it feels as though life is just not as purposeful as we had envisioned it to be. Maybe you feel stuck in your life or are frustrated of life not feeling as rewarding. It’s not that you can’t appreciate the life you are living — you simply feel there must be more to life, something that makes you feel like you have a purpose. Something that truly fulfills you.

During such insightful moments, we realize that we have been stuck with mediocrity for far too long. We start to notice that we have engaged in countless hours of entertainment that aren’t actually mindful. In hindsight, none of these activities contributed to the sense of living a fulfilling life. Living life on autopilot may feel fun for a while but it certainly doesn’t fulfill us. So what can we do to live a more fulfilling life? Is there a secret formula to living the ideal life? Below are 10 secrets to living a fulfilling life.

But before we unravel those, let’s quickly touch upon the Grant Study that produced significant results about life’s fundamental questions such as what is it that truly fulfills us. Scientists at Harvard University gathered data from 268 undergrads for over 75 years to reach an interesting conclusion, of which we will learn more as we go along the rest of the article.

1. Appreciate challenges as they lend perspective

Nobody likes challenges and it’s quite understandable why. Having to go through a tough time can be extremely painful and difficult. Such challenges compel us to face our own limitations and boundaries. They reveal how perishable we really are and hence we don’t like them. On the other hand, however, challenges can provide us with beneficial learning experiences that enrich our lives. The perspective that challenges bring with them can help you live a more fulfilling life.

When you are forced to go through a difficult time, you gain added perspective on your life and are then capable of appreciating it to a greater extent. In a way, challenges turn your life upside down and enable you to free yourself from all things that do not contribute to your growth and happiness. When you are faced with difficulties, try to trace the opportunities that come with it. Avoid passing the blame as that will not help you do anything about your situation. Instead, use the remainder of your broken dream to build the foundation of your ideal life.

2. Love is the key to fulfillment

One of the major highlights of the Grant Study was discovering how very important love is for one to feel their life is fulfilling. Even though it may seem obvious, love and fulfillment are closely connected. One of the scientists, George Vaillant, found two pillars upon which fulfillment depends — the first being love and the second being the ability to live a life that includes love. His observation highlighted how wealth, health, and success are not sufficient to make a person feel truly fulfilled. Fulfillment can be drawn from the affection, support, and happiness that comes along with loving relationships.

3. Money, power, and lust do not mean greater fulfillment

The desire for money and power is insatiable. This is why you may not feel fulfilled if you pay extra attention to acquiring these tangible things. In fact, on the contrary, such a burning desire may eventually cause pain to you. The Grant Study supports this understanding by showing neither money nor power is related to higher levels of fulfillment or happiness. Of course, success in your career is an important part of your feeling fulfilled but also it’s only one piece of a larger puzzle. In fact, when taken into account in the context of a complete lifetime’s experience, money and power inevitably lose their importance.

4. Freeing yourself from the opinion of others increases fulfillment

If there is one hindrance that can keep us from feeling fulfilled in our lives, it is the desire to please others and the inability to ignore other people’s opinions. We do not only wonder what other people may be thinking or saying about us but we get caught in a loop of trying to please those very people. When we put this much emphasis on the opinions of other people, we allow them to greatly influence our behavior. Don’t be surprised if this becomes a vicious cycle.

Instead of doing the things that truly fulfill us, we start doing what others expect of us. Without knowing it, we begin to neglect ourselves in the hope that other people will be satisfied and pleased. Instead of constantly wondering what others might be thinking of you, try to focus on how you feel inside. After all, you won’t be able to fully influence others. This is why, in the end, all that matters is what you think of yourself. As long as you can happily look in the mirror, it really doesn’t matter what others have to say.

5. Fulfilment starts from within

Most people who aspire to live a more fulfilling life look for answers outside of themselves. They almost entirely neglect the fact that nothing from the outside can fulfil them truly unless they are internally happy. Hence, instead of searching for the answers within, they keep exploring multiple external sources of happiness. These external sources may satisfy us for a while but they are no good when we take into consideration our entire lifetime. It is as though nothing from the outside world can truly fulfill our hearts and minds. This is the case until we realize that the journey of fulfillment starts from within. When we are capable of finding happiness from within, it helps us learn what truly fulfills us. When you are able to manifest happiness from within, you are more likely to discover that life is truly worth living.

6. Pursuing your vision truly fulfills you

Do you have a purpose in life? Is there something you absolutely desire to see implemented around you? Something far bigger than yourself that you are willing to work for? Your life can become more fulfilling if you decide to pursue your vision. Not only does such a mission motivate you, it also helps you keep going when situations get challenging.

Give yourself some time to develop such a vision. This is not something that can be accomplished within a day or even a week. Sometimes, it takes an entire lifetime for people to develop their vision and eventually, you will benefit greatly from having a dream. You will see that your focus remains on the pursuit of your vision even when things get difficult. And knowing that you are striving to make the world a better place will not only give your life a purpose but also make you feel rather fulfilled.

If you wish to live a fulfilled life, you will have to understand what the significance of your life is. Try to find out what is most important to you and how you can affect positive change for yourself as well as those around you.

7. Let things go to make room for something new

If ever your life has been turned upside down, you know how difficult it is to rearrange every aspect of it. As painful and difficult such a situation seems at first, remember it also provides the opportunity to get rid of certain negativities from your life. By eliminating these unbeneficial things from your life, you inevitably make room for something new. The same applies to the pursuit of fulfillment. You cannot live a happy life if you hold on to the things that drag you down. So let go of the things that don’t serve you and gain something new and beneficial instead.

8. Self-reflection helps

Mindfulness helps you cultivate happiness from within. It also enables you to be in touch with who you really are. More so, self-reflection will help you find more meaning in your life’s experiences. In order to be more mindful and have the ability to self-reflect, it is advisable to pick up the habit of meditation. This way, you will find the time to think about your life and actions. You will also be able to identify patterns that tell you what is most important to you and what is in fact negligible.

9. Adding joy to other people’s lives allows you to feel fulfilled

Naturally, we attempt to find fulfillment by adding joy and happiness to our own life. In the process, we neglect the impact we can have in our own lives by helping out other people. Helping others can make us quite happy — it heightens our psychological wellbeing and overall life satisfaction. Some people may think they miss out on opportunities by helping others or it is a waste of time to be there for someone else but that’s probably because they haven’t experienced how wonderful it feels to step up. It is nothing short of amazing to see someone you helped out do well for themselves. Even though there is no risk in helping out others, heartfelt fulfillment can be gained from doing so.

10. Find fulfillment by taking risks

Fears can limit our actions as well as our happiness to a great extent. It can feel quite convenient to remain within the boundaries of our comfort zone but it isn’t quite as fulfilling as stepping out of it. You can find the true meaning of your existence only when you take risks and develop the courage to explore new opportunities. Continuing to do what you’ve always done will not help add new meaning to your life. So have the courage to take risks. Do not let fear get in the way; explore those things which lie outside your comfort zone instead.

Conclusion

Even when you have the most sophisticated formula for leading the ideal life, it is entirely useless if you do not put it into practice. The above pointers show how you can lead a purposeful and meaningful life but there is a great difference between just reading about it and actually putting it to practice. All these tips can give your life a deeper meaning when you implement them.