Are fulfillment and happiness the same thing?
I don’t think so.
Simon Sinek, the leadership guru, wrote a nice article about this difference and I agree with him – happiness can be less deep and lasting than fulfillment.
Happiness can result from material and external occurrences.
Fulfillment can only be reached when we connect to our deeper purposes. It is internal.
Dan Buettner, in his new book the Blue Zones of Happiness, reminds us that there are predictable elements of happiness – enough salary, living in the right location, being in nature, friends, and achieving specific goals and tasks.
Winning money, like the lottery, can give us short-term happiness.
However, this kind of short-term happiness rarely transfers to long-term fulfillment.
I believe that fulfillment connects to our spiritual center and our source energy.
Serving others.
Being in the flow of our life.
Clearing the noise from our brains and getting in touch with the intuition of our hearts.
Being connected to our life purpose.
How do we know when we are on this path?
I think it is moving towards joy and peace in our life.
When you experience the emotions of joy and peace, then I believe you are on the right track.
I think joy and peace are the GPS coordinates to the destination of fulfillment.
It is listening to our hearts and being in touch with the purpose we are on earth to realize.
Often our intuition talks, but our minds are too busy to listen.
Too busy to slow down, and take care of ourselves.
To enjoy a walk. To really appreciate a conversation or times with friends and family.
To read a book. To sit quietly. To focus on things really important. To have gratitude.
To go with the current of our lives. To trust. To release control.
To BE instead of To DO.
Almost heaven.