Tag Archives: fulfillment

“To descend into ourselves, we must first lift ourselves up.”

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“To descend into ourselves, we must first lift ourselves up.”

—Joseph Joubert, 18th Century French moralist and essayist

Image from Unsplash by Zac Durant

Toward the end of October, I was knocked out of my usual activities by a bad cold and an extra heavy dose of seasonal pollen to activate my allergies. I even took a Covid test before I went to my doctor, who told me it was most likely viral and to keep up my palliative care efforts of chicken soup, tea, and rest.

About the only activities that remained consistent were my meditation practice and some reading. Looking through the lens of my illness with modest energy at best, I found my descent into my thoughts and feelings revealing. A big takeaway that I thought I always knew is that the ultimate wealth is health.

EXERCISE:

How do you perceive the ups and downs of your life?

How do you lift yourself up so that you can more fully descend into yourself to live a richer more fulfilling life?

“It’s often the bends in the road that make life worth the drive.”

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“It’s often the bends in the road that make life worth the drive.”

—Nicholas Sparks, Author of A Bend in the Road

Image from Unsplash by Denys Nevozhai

When was the last time you took a long car ride? Go back in time to look at those family vacations where you loaded up the station wagon, minivan, or SUV and headed to parts unknown, to kick back and take life at a slower pace.

These days, many of us check our most popular navigation app to get where we want to go as directly as possible. This direct and speedy route often involves highways, lots of cement, asphalt, other vehicles, the occasional farm, and perhaps cows grazing along the road.

EXERCISE:

In what ways are the twists, turns, and bends in the road of life taking you on a much more meaningful and fulfilling journey? What intentional detours can and will you take now and in the future to enjoy the ride even more?

“Take only memories, leave only footprints.”

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“Take only memories, leave only footprints.”

—Chief Seattle, Duwamish Tribe Leader & namesake of the City of Seattle

Image form Unsplash by NASA

Many of us are living simpler and more essentially these days. Taking less seems to be giving many of us more of the intrinsic things we value most.

I can recall visiting the Disney World exhibit sponsored by Kodak—the powerhouse of photography—when my kids were little. The catchy tune “Making Memories” inspired us to take a photo safari around the park, taking snapshots of us wearing the wild hats in each gift shop, without making a single purchase.

I also easily recall being glued to the TV in 1969 when man landed on the moon. Although some rocks were taken for study, the most impressive visual I recall was the astronauts jumping for joy, and of course, the many footprints they left, establishing the fact that they were there.

EXERCISE:

How would your life become even more fulfilling and meaningful if you embraced Chief Seattle’s coaching?

 

“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.”

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“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.”

—Hillaire Belloc, 20th Century British-French writer and historian

Image from Unsplash by Anastasia Petrova

To what degree are you a wanderer or a traveler? Since most of us are not using trains, planes, or automobiles as often as usual, consider taking a look at your media and social media journeys.

How often do you find yourself surfing the web and giving your remote a workout to fill the time and distract you from boredom or the hard realities we are all facing in this pandemic?

Alternatively, how are you planning your days with intention and focus, to travel paths toward specific destinations and goals?

EXERCISE:

Where and how would more traveling and less wandering through your days lead to a more fulfilling life?

What one specific action will you take today to begin this journey?

Talents and Deep Gladness

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“At what point do my talents and deep gladness meet the world’s deep need?”

Frederick Buechner, American writer & theologian

Aerial view of tropical rainforest with converging rivers, Guyana

Image from thefatherhoodcomission

Imagine two great rivers flowing from their source high in the mountains, where ice and snow melt into the purest waters possible. The names of these rivers happen to be “My Talents,” and “Deep Gladness.”

Many miles away, where the two rivers converge, is the ocean of “What the world needs most,” and the resulting delta could be the Island of Happiness, Fulfillment, and Life Purpose.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you best channel the naturally flowing aspects of your talents and deep gladness to generously contribute to the world’s deepest needs?

True Wisdom Lies in Gathering the Precious Things

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“True wisdom lies in gathering the precious things out of each day as it goes by.”

—E.S. Bouton

Image of woman lounging on a beach chair

Image from Unsplash by RawPixel

My wife Wendy’s “happy place” is the beach. She loves nothing more, except family and friends, than her time on a sandy ocean beach, looking for interesting and beautiful shells. Among her favorites are brightly colored or interestingly shaped mollusk shells, particularly if they are shaped like a heart or infinity symbol.

When she is not at the beach, she sets a wonderful example for me, my children, and others, by squeezing the most out of each precious day. It is not uncommon for her to alter the hours she sleeps, simply because she doesn’t want to miss any of the joy and sweetness life has to offer.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you seek, discover, and savor more of the precious things around you to make more of each and every day?

Your Work is to Discover Your Work

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“Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it.”

—Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism

Image from Unsplash

No quote captures my business and personal coaching work purpose better than this one!

A large percentage of people I work with in the business world rarely experience a perfect fit between who they are and what they do.

I see this most often when people seek coaching because they have a heightened awareness of this gap in their fulfillment and satisfaction, and choose to make an intentional transition with this huge chunk of their life.

EXERCISE:

To put you in closer touch to the work you are meant to do, consider reading these books:

Of course, you can always contact me to explore how I may assist you in this effort.

#23: “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour…”

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“…the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”

– Vince Lombardi

When my daughter Rachel was young, she loved to dance. In fact, she became very good and eventually became a member of one of the top dance studios in the country. Each time I dropped her off for practice, I said, “Do your best, and have fun.” The result was her being on the winning team for the national title during her final three years in high school.

My observation was that, when she did her best and gave her all, regardless of victory, she was a winner.

Exercise:

Where in your work or your personal life could you work your heart out for a cause and realize your finest hour?

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