What are the Unexpected Essentials for a fulfilling life? 

Do you know what the ‘essentials’ are in life so that you can live a fulfilling lifestyle? 

Firstly let’s agree that fulfilment and happiness are subjective.  They are a state of mind—on how we feel about ourselves and our life. In this sense, anything we do can either makes us feel better or worse.

Equally in this fast-paced world, many of us are living in a constant state of stress and overwhelm…. Never-ending expectations to meet, daunting deadlines to meet, an overflowing amount of information being shared with us via social media and the like…. All of this can feel very overwhelming. Our minds are completely overstimulated, leaving us with a sense of exhaustion and dissatisfaction about many things in our lives. 

The truth is life is never picture-perfect. Nobody can ‘have it all’.  In today’s world, ‘living your best life’ is really about finding joy and fulfilment in what we have and within the day-to-day.

So, what does it mean to live a fulfilling life? Fulfilment will have a different meaning for each individual, though it essentially means ‘being content with who you are and where you are at the present moment, striving for self-development regardless of success or failure and contributing to people’s lives in a meaningful way.’

We tend to run after larger accomplishments in life, (Getting that dream job, finding true love, possessing a big house, or being paid a six-figure salary) and fail to recognise pleasures coming from smaller things. Fulfilment is more about appreciating the voyage of our existence rather than dwelling on the destination. It focuses on ‘now’ not ‘then’.

The good news is, we have the power to alter our destiny and for that, we need to build up certain healthy habits that will pave our way towards fulfillment. A sense of self-fulfillment is a way of happiness. Where you find yourself taking care of yourself, going to the flower store to buy yourself a bouquet, and stop depending on others for your happiness, you will see a change in your character.

Which is why today we are going to share some of the secret strategies, ingredients and habits that create a fulfilling life, shared by 20 talented Life Coaches, Therapists, Psychologists and Health Gurus.

 

So grab a pen and paper and start making notes on which of these truly resonate for you:

 

The Experts Advice

Through your extensive experience, what have you found to be the unexpected essentials to living a fulfilling life?

Magdalena Jensen  – Coach & Consultant

“Its about Loving yourself. In order to truly be able to receive the depths of love for yourself, to give it and to palpably experience it every single day, you need to truly, madly and deeply love YOURSELF.

I am aware this is so cheesy sounding, it’s nearly a cliche, but it’s also the hardest thing to do in a world that doesn’t seem to want you to love yourself… The average adult on the internet sees over 10,000 advertisements a day selling them something to fix their “broken” selves. Being broken and not liking yourself feeds the economic systems we seem so comfortable in but aren’t really serving us at all”

 

Marcus Pearce – Longevity Coach, Speaker & Author

“You write the script of your life. In order to make life meaningful, you must take 100% responsibility for your life. No one else can make you happy, fulfilled, confident, etc. It’s an inside job”. 

 

Martine Barclay – Psychotherapist and Coach

“Giving yourself a range of experiences that keep you learning. Without this you can become rigid in your thinking and judgment, which drives people away from you. Nobody wants to be with someone who makes them feel bad. It also teaches you things about yourself which then gives you the opportunity to change or embrace”. 

 

Sue Ellson – Author, Educator, Career Development Practitioner

“Understanding your own non-negotiables.  For me, I have created a values based decision making framework (because we all have so many choices we can make) so if an ‘opportunity’ appears, I see if it is aligned with my values and if so, I nearly always say yes. If it doesn’t align, I will definitely say no, regardless how good the ‘offer’ is. I don’t feel as if I ever miss out, I am never bored and I keep doing new and interesting things”

 

Vikki Borissow  – Energy Psychology Practitioner and Wellness Coach

“Know yourself. This is the absolute key to making great life decisions. Everyone is unique, so when you know who you are in mind-body-heart and soul, you’re able to create a life that is uniquely fulfilling and meaningful to you” 

 

Patrea O’Donoghue – Registered Psychologist (Including Sport & Exercise Psychologist)

“This is a tough one but I think it ultimately comes down to good health – or at least being as healthy as we can with what whatever we were blessed with in life. There’s a model in psychology that looks at the main contributing factors to our level of happiness. It proposes that 50% has to do with genes, 10% has to do with life circumstances (the things that are somewhat beyond our control), and the final 40% is where we have the greatest opportunity to maximise. This 40% is made up of the activities that we do intentionally. These are the choices that we can make consciously – what we do (including what and how we think).

I think every day we are given an opportunity to maximise that 40% – to choose to live more intentionally and meaningfully by honouring the body we have. This includes how we feed it, whether we move it, how we nourish it with social connections, whether we honour it by giving it sufficient rest and recovery time with adequate sleep”.

 

Leah Couts – Health and Fitness Coach

“To not accept others’ limitations for what is possible for you. So often in life cultural and societal pressures, past experiences, and limiting beliefs that have been passed on from others can keep us from dreaming big and pursuing what is most meaningful to us. Dreaming big doesn’t have to mean ‘achieving’ in the traditional sense, but rather really allowing yourself to imagine what’s possible without restriction and then leaning into what that might mean for your daily choices. Being guided by that vision instead of limitations can really enrich your life”.

 

Alison Wheeler – Confidence Coach

“Ensuring that your values are met in the actions you take and career you follow. Its about building a life around your values. When you build a life around values – you build it based on meaning”

 

Nicky Taylor – NLP & Hypnotherapy Master Trainer, Mindset Expert & Author

“Fulfilling your purpose is the number one non-negotiable to living a meaningful life – and everyone’s purpose is different. We have coached people who’s purpose for example is to make a difference, and they have achieved that through cleaning offices. This has meant that to them they are living a meaningful life by knowing that the person who’s desk they are cleaning can then get on and do their job too. Your purpose can be fulfilled in many ways”. 

 

Mike Irving -Business Executive Coach

”I’ve spent a lifetime helping business executives get-ahead, and the the biggest thing that differentiates between a fulfilled person, and one that fizzes out, is if they are ‘at cause’ or ‘at effect’. This subtle difference is as simple as they are making their own decisions and ‘choosing’ to take action, or if they are being forced to.

You will know the difference between these two states just by listening to someone talk about their day. If they talk about ‘i have to’, ‘i need to’, ‘i must’, then they are at effect, not actually in control. This is energy sapping and demotivating. These people find it hard to truely be fulfilled because they aren’t in the drivers seat. They feel like they are the passenger just hoping that the car stops eventually.

In contrast, those that make decisions and never live in purgatory, these are the people who are truely happy and fulfilled. It’s not difficult, but it is a mindset switch. Do you ‘have’ to complete that report, or do you choose to? When you make that minor switch in thinking, then life becomes easier, more satisfying and enriching”

 

Joanna Walden – Multidimensional Transformation Specialist, Speaker and Author

”The one non negotiable to living a meaningful life is allowing your true self, and your light to lead. The more in alignment with our true self we are, the more fulfilled and happier we are. The more we get out of our own way and allow what is meant for us to come to us – the more expansive our experience.

The truth is, we all came here into this lifetime with specific things we wanted to experience and do, connected to a deeper energy within us all and for the purpose of contributing to the whole. You might call it the true self, or soul or your eternal consciousness – but that is the energy that is running the GPS in the background of your existence. That is the energy that is niggling at you in the background when you have all the things you thought would make you happy, and are still not.

The more we are in alignment and conscious connection with this energy within us, the more we realise all that we are, and can bring that forth in whatever way is perfect for us individually creating that feeling of meaning, fulfilment, purpose, happiness, contentment”

 

Jessica Kiely – Writer

“Getting out in nature, often! We are nature. Feeling connected to nature, by BEING in nature, is a non-negotiable for a meaningFULL life! Science shows us that any moments in nature, immersed in nature, admiring nature affects us physically, mentally and spiritually.

There is so much to learn in and from nature. There is so much beauty to take in and admire in nature, and then in ourselves as a reflection of nature. So ocean water, a lake, a pond, a garden, a flower, a tree, some grass, the sky, a bird, a butterfly…..notice them, find them, be with them…..and find that space”

 

Georgina Caro – Certified Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Reader and Reiki Master

”In order to live a meaningful life you have to live in accordance or in line with your true values. If you’re living a life that doesn’t align with your soul purpose you will never truly feel fulfilled. If you truly want to live the life you’re meant to you have to go inside yourself. In this fast-paced modern world we live in it’s easier to get swept up in all the craziness around us. It’s easy to forget who you are and what you truly desire.

To live a meaningful life you have to find yourself again. Learn to stop giving your power away to others. We’re taught from a young age that looking after ourselves or focusing on ourselves is selfish but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You cannot give from an empty cup. By filling yours first you are better able to serve others”

 

Becca Rich  – Holistic Life Coach

“A healthy relationship with time. Time is the fabric of our lives, and when people think about time management… they think of being productive at work. When in reality, how we think, feel, and spend our time in all areas of our life is a non-negotiable to living a meaningful life. When we spend our time well, we have everything we need”

 

Bridget Johns – Organisation Expert and founder of Be Simply Free

“Make sure there is ‘fun’ in your calendar. Most people use their calendars just work appointments. Make sure there is fun scheduled into your calendar too. I have a monthly reoccurring “Family Fun Time” appointment in my calendar on the 24th of each month.

The idea is to pick a date between 1-28 and on that day each month (regardless if it is a weekday or weekend) do something fun as a family. It could be taking the dinner you had planned to eat to the playground, playing a board game or on busy evenings having pancakes and ice cream on a school morning”

 

Sara Sheehan – Executive Coach & Consultant

“Living within your purpose and design with a firm spiritual foundation. A life well lived is best done with the guidance of a higher power and practicing the craft you were designed for. When you are living out your purpose and design, you are at ease rather than mired in anxiety and fear.

Additionally, if you are living in your purpose and design, you are going to have more joy, happiness, and a naturally more positive outlook. This is a powerful combination that yields a much greater impact on business, our communities, and our world”

 

Belinda Hindmarsh – Female Head Talk Expert

“Fun – is essential. In the race to grow up, learn more and be mature, the fun in life can be neglected. This leads to reduced imagination and then fun disappears. Fun creates connection through shared experiences. Fun creates community and through community we develop our tribe. The ones we can lean on when things get heavy. But it all comes back to fun. Stay or return to being young at heart and the magic will be ignited”

 

William Ford– Creative Director of The Open Mind Institute

“Imparting meditation and mindfulness into your day-to-day life is the most important step that you can take towards living a meaningful life. When you consistently practice and utilise these tools, you strengthen your pre-frontal cortex, allowing yourself to achieve self-awareness. This enables you to feel a greater connection to yourself and your relationships, understanding your impact on others, and their perspective in any given situation.

This contributes to a meaningful life through much stronger, healthier relationships, while also enabling you to regulate your emotions, giving rise to greater attention control and stress management. This allows you to focus, and ultimately achieve your life’s goals. Mediation and mindfulness can be seen as a holistic approach towards living a meaningful life as these techniques have far reaching benefits, impacting almost all areas of your life. It’s for this reason, they must be considered the ultimate non-negotiable to living a meaningful life”

 

We hope you enjoyed this article. x

 

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