The 5 Timeless Principles Of Living A Fulfilled Life

“The important question is not what will yield to man na few scattered pleasures, but what will render his life nhappy on the whole amount.” – JOSEPH ADDISON

We are all in pursuit of happiness. In some shape or form we are constantly moving towards what we believe will make us happy, either in the short or in the long term. You might say that we are designed for happiness and since the beginning of time human beings devised countless ways and means of creating happiness. For the majority of us, happiness comes in the form of what we call success; by achieving certain ‘things’ that we believe will make us happy.

We live in a culture where the trappings of success is running rampant. Ironically we can see the so-called icons of our time, who appears to have everything, dealing with immense inner struggles. We tend to pursue the symbols of success whereas what we really crave for is that inner feeling of being a successful human being. XX noted that true success lies not in possessing things, but in the knowing that you deserve it. This knowing is a deep inner conviction that is the cornerstone of living a truly happy and fulfilled life.

When you are fulfilled your life is one of the deepest joy because you feel like your life is fully worth living and that you are fulfilling a greater purpose. You feel that you are realizing the reason why you came here.

With the pursuit of the symbols of success we tend to get trapped by the belief that we will be happy in some future time ‘when’ I have the perfect job or the money, or the relationship or the health. To be truly happy we need to detach ourselves from events and circumstances and learn to live our lives on purpose – and to find happiness within. This can be easier said than done, especially when you are trapped in a relationship you hate, or a job you hate or with a body you hate.

We can look at this in 4 categories of experience and many of us move in and out of them throughout our lifetime. An awareness of these categories can help us to come to the realization that we are never stuck and that there’s always another way.

The first category is when you Do What You Hate:
On a deep level we all know what we love and what we hate. Yet, so many people are stuck in careers that they hate or stay in relationships with people they will never be in harmony with. In this category, you know that you hate it, but still you do it and often you have ‘good reasons’ to do so. The truth is that as long as you are in this category you will never be happy because you know that what you are doing is something you hate.

The second category is to Hate What You Do:
You might be doing something you quite like, but somehow that are things you don’t like about it and consequently you hate doing it. The problem is not with what you are doing, but in the actual doing. You might be in a relationship with someone you love, but still you hate it. You might be doing something you love(ed) but you hate doing it.

The third category is to Love What You Do:
We’ve all met people in some of the worse jobs ever who seem to always be happy. These are people who have learned a secret of life which is to love what you do, regardless of what you are doing.

The fourth category is to Do What You Love:
Although we all know what we hate, somehow it seems much harder to find what we love to do. Doing what you love is probably the greatest gift you can give to yourself and one that will reward you with life’s deepest joy which is true fulfillment.

We all find ourselves in one or more of these categories in different areas of our lives and we are constantly moving in and our of these categories as our experience of life shifts. It’s very useful to analyze your life according to these four categories as it can help you to get on the life path called fulfillment. True fulfillment can only come from a life path where you love what you do, and do what you love. Until and unless you reach this point you will never live life at the highest level.

Here are the 5 timeless principles of living a fulfilled life:

1. Realize that you are unique and special and that you have a higher purpose in life. You are not an accident. You are here for a reason and part of your mission is to find out why you are here.

2. Find your bliss – find what you love in life and do it. Do it as often as possible and be kind to yourself by doing that which brings you inner joy.

3. Love what you do – doing what you love is only one half of the story. You still have to love what you do and this is an attitude. Even if you are doing something you hate, you can still love doing it and once you do this you start to shift the focus of your life and more of what you do love will start showing up.

4. Keep growing and expanding – without continual growth and the expansion of yourself you will soon get bored and start ‘hating what you do’. Personal growth is an essential ingredient in being fulfilled.

5. Be inner directive – don’t allow others to prescribe your happiness for you. Listen to that still small voice within that only you can hear. Ultimately you are the only one that can make yourself happy.