How to Find True Fulfillment in Everyday Life

2024 is a time when many of us have the luxury of deciding what we really want to accomplish in our lives. Unlike previous generations, many young people today are fortunate enough to have the safety and means to step off the traditional conveyor belt of “success” and wander toward true fulfillment.

But what does it mean to be fulfilled? There are infinite different ways to find fulfillment and create a meaningful life. The most important thing is that it feels right to you. You can use your passion, skills, and potential to help others to create a fulfilling life.

Let’s dive into how to discover what fulfillment means for you and how you can flourish in 2024.

Jump To:

• What does it mean to be fulfilled?
• How to find lasting fulfillment
• 10 ways to cultivate fulfillment

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FULFILLED?

Being fulfilled means feeling content and satisfied with how you spend your days and what you contribute to the world.

Social media would have us believe that fulfillment only comes in the form of infinite free time, extravagant vacations, and fancy material goods. In reality, none of those things can independently create a full life that feels meaningful and steeped in purpose.

Fulfillment is not the same thing as unwavering happiness. 

Even the most fulfilled people don’t feel giddy and bubbly all the time. However, when you do feel fulfilled, your variations in mood may not have such a big impact on your mental health and wellbeing because you know that your overall mission is worthwhile.

HOW TO FIND LASTING FULFILLMENT

Lasting fulfillment comes from finding what you are passionate about, what you’re skilled in, and how you can use those things to have a positive impact on the world.

The well-known Japanese concept of “Ikigai” captures the necessary ingredients for fulfillment well. 

Ikigai: The sweet spot where your passion, skill, and potential for serving others intersect. 

Finding your unique purpose, or Ikigai, is the key to fulfillment. So how do we find our ikigai in 2024?

Self-development, the practice of getting to know yourself and enhancing your character and abilities, is a great way to discover your passions and skills.

Determine Your Passion, Skills, and Potential To Help Others

By diving deeper into the three aspects of personal development; mental, physical, and emotional, you’ll discover what you’re passionate about, what you’re skilled at, and what opportunities you have to serve other human beings.

If you can follow those threads long enough to find where they intersect, boom! You’ll know exactly how to cultivate a more fulfilled life. 

The journey to discovering your purpose may sound overwhelming, but it’s important to remember that the journey itself has value. If you commit to physical, mental, and emotional self-development, your path to fulfillment will be laden with feelings of motivation, inspiration, pride, confidence, and success.

10 Ways To Cultivate Fulfillment

1. Reflect on who you really are

Lasting fulfillment is going to look different to each of us. Before you can cultivate an authentic life, you need to get clear about what’s really important to you. 

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help get more clear about you really are.

What are your values? 

How have you been living inauthentically?

What makes you feel full and proud?

What have you been putting off learning/doing/thinking about?

Reflecting on your own needs and values can help hit the reset button on your life. Try to get clear about your priorities and what’s important to you.

2. Reflect on your goals

​Setting and accomplishing goals is a powerful way to add meaning and purpose to your life.

Stagnation, complacency, and fear are not fulfilling. When was the last time you were brave enough to really think about what you want to accomplish? Here are a few questions to help you get clear on your goals.

​What would you do with your time if money was not part of the equation?

What would you regret not having accomplished when you’re 90 years old?

What is one big goal that you’ve abandoned?

What are your specific career goals?

How do you want your everyday life to look different?

What’s one goal that you’ve pushed to the back of your mind because it feels too scary?

Spend some time reflecting on these questions and any others that help you to clarify what’s important to you, what you want to accomplish, and where you’ve been ignoring your deepest desires.

(Related: How To Set And Accomplish Big, Powerful Goals)

​3. Be a lifelong learner

Since true fulfillment comes from pursuing what you’re passionate about and applying that skill to helping people, it’s important to always be discovering things you enjoy and honing your skills.

Learning new skills and trying new things is a powerful way to keep life interesting and to feel a sense of purpose. Being a lifelong learner requires a conscious decision to develop a Growth Mindset rather than a Fixed Mindset.

4. Give back to your community

Community service is an excellent way to feel instantly more connected and fulfilled.

Developing a long-term sense of fulfillment comes from applying what you’re passionate and skilled into helping others. Giving back to your community is a great way to discover how you can personally contribute to the well-being of others which can help you cultivate a long-term plan for a meaningful life.

Plus, humans are naturally social creatures, and taking a step back from your own happiness to contribute to the well-being of a group can have profound effects on your mental health. Not to mention, when you participate in volunteer work, you’re guaranteed to meet new people and you may be surprised by the meaningful connections you create.

5. Meditate

Meditation helps us stay aligned with who we really are and what’s important to us.

Living in the past is depressing and living in the future creates anxiety. Only being present can help banish negative thoughts and feelings of emptiness. 

Take a moment to still your mind, connect with your inner being, and soak in the present moment. Doing this regularly will help you stay on your unique and authentic path to a fulfilling life.

6. Practice Gratitude

Gratitude helps us keep awareness about what we want to keep in our lives.

What parts of your current situation are you grateful for? Do you have things in your personal life or professional life that bring you joy? Do you have enough money? Was someone particularly kind to you today? 

There is always something to be grateful for. Gratitude is an elevated emotion that reminds your nervous system what positivity feels like. When you take a few minutes to practice gratitude for things, people, and circumstances in your life, you’re guaranteed to feel less empty and more (full)filled.

7. Move your body

Moving your body is a great way to get out of your head, increase your happy hormones, and feel more like yourself.

At some point, ruminating in your head about how to improve your life and cultivate fulfillment becomes counter-productive and can hurt your mental health and increase stress levels. When things get tough inside your mind, sometimes the right first step is to focus your attention on your physical health.

Try gentle stretching, yoga, walking, running, climbing, lifting weights, swimming, dancing, or any other movement that appeals to you, and notice how you feel afterward. 

Who knows! You may even be inspired to include exercise in your routine on a daily basis when you discover the relationship it has with your mental well-being.

8. Engage in a neglected hobby

Hobbies are a great entry point to finding your Ikigai – the sweet spot where passion, skill, and positive impact intersect.

To cultivate long-term fulfillment, it’s important to remember what activities light you up inside. Even if your old hobbies don’t become an outlet for you to serve your community and find lifelong fulfillment, they can still help you break out of a rut and improve your mental health.

Hobbies allow us to enter the “flow” state. The flow state is a mental state where we are so singly focused on what we’re doing that we don’t even notice time passing. 

Try picking up an old hobby and see if there’s still a spark!

9. Spend time with inspiring people

Spending time with people who inspire and encourage you can completely change your mindset and eventually your life.

How much time do you spend with people who complain, settle, and harp on negative emotions? These Energy Vampires are holding you back from your potential to cultivate a fulfilling life.

The motivational speak Jim Rohn reminds us that “we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.”  When you intentionally spend more time around people whose lives reflect your ideal situations, you’re setting yourself up for success. It’s important to get out of your comfort zone and spend time with people who come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives to expand your worldview and understand what’s possible for you.

10. Find meaning in your day-to-day life

A big part of cultivating lifelong fulfillment comes from being able to find meaning and purpose in little ways. 

Chances are, you won’t be able to leave your job, buy a big beautiful house, and find a new group of friends tomorrow. Those things take time. But you can notice the good things you already have and begin to find meaning in your current situation.

Can I feel more fulfilled today?

While committing to ongoing self-development is the best way to cultivate a fulfilling life, it’s also possible to kickstart the feeling of fulfillment immediately.

Some ways to feel most fulfilled immediately are to notice how you’re already contributing to the greater good, create a clear vision for your future, help others to learn/grow/be happy, or take a step toward your specific goals.

For a more in-depth list of what you can do to feel more like yourself today, check out this article: 10 Tiny Things You Can Do To Kickstart Your Personal Growth Today)