Fulfillment: F-Word #6

Fulfillment

/fo͝olˈfilmənt/ noun satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one's potential

Fulfillment as a word has many definitions and meanings. For the sake of our discussion today, we are going to define it as what you do for a living - whether that is a job, a career, or a business. At the core, it’s what you do to earn money to pay the bills or how you spend the majority of your day contributing to society and the world.

The ultimate goal is that your job, career, or business also brings you a sense of fulfillment (satisfaction or happiness), as well as a paycheck or significant wealth.

We spend so much of our overall time each week “working”. For most that’s at least 5 days a week, for a minimum of 8 hour days. I know many of you reading this work many many more than a mere 40 hours a week. The reason for that can be many - working overtime or multiple jobs to just get by or to save up for Family or Freedom in some way. Others may be working much more because you are trying to get ahead in your career, to be noticed, and to get that next promotion. Others yet still may be working more than average because you have your own business and either you are spending time building it or you are spending time managing it!

Whatever the case - I know you are working hard for many hours every week. And if you are spending 25% to 40% of your entire week at “work”, shouldn’t you also be getting Fulfillment out of it, in addition to a financial reward?

Let’s take a quick inventory of your current state of Fulfillment:

• What is your level of satisfaction with your current job, career, or business?
• Do you look forward to Monday or dread it?
• What is the quality of relationships with your co-workers, your manager/boss, and/or your employees?
• Are you currently making as much money as you would like?
• Do you have a sense of accomplishment at least 3 times per week as a result of your job, career, or business?
• Does your current job, career, or business align with your Life Purpose?

After answering the above questions, how do you feel right now? Are you motivated and ready to pour yourself right now fully in to what you do everyday for a living? Or are you feeling disappointed or unsatisfied with your answers? Or worse still, are you feeling empty and maybe even a little hopeless, not seeing any possibilities for change?

If your Fulfillment is currently at a high and you are making the amount of money you wish, doing something that you love, that aligns with your Life Purpose - congratulations! That truly is the peak of how true Fulfillment is meant to be - and the goal for anyone who wishes to attain it.

To everyone else, what I want to say is YES, it is possible! Even if you can’t see the top of the mountain because you are still at sea level, that doesn’t mean the mountaintop doesn’t exist and isn’t attainable. One just must have a vision, make a plan, and work diligently on all aspects of that plan that will lead you to your destination.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, right? So what are your next steps to raise the level of your Fulfillment?

Let’s explore what those potential next steps may be now. We are going to focus for this exercise on the first 3 steps. These will apply to you no matter what state your Fulfillment is in.

First and foremost, what I know to be true is that what you Focus on expands. How does this relate to your current Fulfillment state? Well, if you are less than satisfied with your current state and all you do is Focus on how unhappy you are, how much you’re underpaid, how your co-workers don’t do as much as you, how crappy your boss is, and how under appreciated you are... Guess what you are going to get more of?

Exactly! More of the SAME!

So the first step is to get clear on what you DO want and release the need and actions of focusing on what you don’t want. Now in coaching people for the past 15 years, everyone I’ve ever asked, “what is it you don’t want?” is able to answer me in a nano-second, and rattle off a whole laundry list of this, that, and the other that they don’t want and that they dislike. How about you? How quickly can you answer that question for me right now?

Now on the other hand, when I ask people “what DO you want?” — suddenly they go blank. They may be able to give me one or two general things, however nothing extremely specific and certainly not the list I get when I ask the previous question.

So your action to take now is to make a list of what you truly want when it comes to Fulfillment. I’d like you to first Focus on logistics, like your job title, description, hours, compensation, etc. Grab your journal or a notebook and write it down now.

Next I’d like you to focus on feelings — write down what feelings you want to experience as a result of your “job”. Be detailed. What do you really want to feel during and at the end of every day?

Finally, Focus on and write down your ultimate life purpose Fulfillment job, career, or business. This is your next mountain top to ascend. Dream big. You can’t get to where you want to go if you have no idea where or what it is.

Great job!!! I encourage you to keep coming back to what you have written down over and over. Weekly, monthly, annually. This vision must stay in front of you consistently. Keep adding to it. It’s OKAY to change and modify it also! It’s YOUR Fulfillment, not someone else’s. So there are no rules!

Now step number 2 for you is to Focus each day on visualizing and creating the day you wish to experience. This is massively important. Remember, what we Focus on expands. Therefore we must intentionally direct our thoughts to what we wish to experience in the day ahead. There are very easy ways in which to do this. Again, first determine what you wish to experience in your current job, career, or business. Even if and ESPECIALLY if you aren’t currently experiencing what you wish.

Every morning when you wake up, what is the first thought you think when your alarm clock goes off? Make it a positive one. Keep it simple. It can be as simple as “Today is going to be a GREAT day!” Create a mantra of what you wish your day to be. Maybe it’s “Today is the best day of my life and I look forward to enjoying serving others today and it brings joy to all I interact with. It’s FUN to be me!”

Keep it simple... write it down. If you use your phone for your alarm, add it to the “title” of your alarm time so that you see it first thing when you wake in the morning. Put it on your bathroom mirror, so you see it the entire time you are getting ready in the morning. (Hint: you can use a dry erase marker and actually write it on your mirror). Write it on a post-it note or 3x5 card and stick it on the dash of your car so you see it when you are driving. And for BONUS power to infuse it even deeper, say it OUT LOUD!

We will be talking about affirmations, intentions, declaration, and how to manifest your deepest desires in all of your F Words of Life as we take this journey together in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

Okay, last but not least of our first 3 steps...

GRATITUDE!

Do you have a daily practice of gratitude? What does that look like you may be asking...

Remember, what we Focus on expands. Therefore gratitude is one of the most powerful actions and emotions on the planet in assisting your co-creation of this life of yours with the Universe.

Thus, create a daily ritual, routine, and habit of intentionally recognizing what you are grateful for every day. I recommend this as one of your evening/night rituals. You can use your journal and write down the 3 (or 5 for you over-achievers) things that you are grateful for that day. Challenge yourself to not just repeat the same 3 things every day. Get specific.

Okay, you’re grateful for your Fulfillment — your job, career, or business. WHY? What specifically today are you grateful for in relationship to your “work”? By focusing on what you are grateful for, no matter how big or small, you start expanding those things. More of those types of things will happen, more of those types of feelings are what you will start experiencing.... more and more!

And since we are talking gratitudes.... don’t JUST limit it to the Fulfillment area of your life (however if you are Focused on shifting your Fulfillment, please make sure you include at least one gratitude regarding your job, career, or business every day!)

Expand it to the other areas of The F Words of Your Life....

Okay, so you’re grateful for your Family, and your kids in particular - why? What specifically that day are you grateful for?

Okay, so you’re grateful for your Fitness (health), what specially? Did you acknowledge the simple fact that you because you had your sight, you could enjoy the sight of a beautiful flower or hummingbird? Did you acknowledge because you have feet, you were able to walk in a park, or at the beach, or simply walk up the stairs?

I also encourage you to have FUN with your gratitudes. What surprised you today? How did you make someone smile? How did someone else make you smile? Make is a GAME! Enjoy it and thus recognize all the good in your life — no matter how small it may feel right now.

So in summary, these are 3 very “simple” steps you can start TODAY. These steps and routines over time, with consistency, can make a massive difference in your life. However, they are also so “simple” that it’s even easier to NOT do them. So, which version of simple will you commit to right now?

Commit to you. Commit to leveling up the Fulfillment in your life. Commit to discovering, refining, and living your Life Purpose as your path of Fulfillment. You can do it. I believe in you. And we are here to support you every step of your journey.

Keep F-ing Going my Friends! The best is yet to come.

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Brenda F Reynolds
Founder & Owner
The F Words of Life

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