After five months, it is past time to explain the subject of the 52 Steps Forward blog – pursuing a fulfilling life. This omission became evident when a faithful reader, colleague, and friend revised his LinkedIn profile to add he is pursuing a meaningful life. I chided him about his word choice, and he pointed out I had not told him why I chose fulfilling and what it meant.
After hours of drafting and redrafting this post, I concluded I can describe my guiding principle, but am biting off far more than I can chew if I want to adequately instruct you on how to find yours. I show mine in hopes of inspiring you to search for or refine yours.
The Case for It
We start with examining the need to pursue something specific. All of us have some idea about what we want and should do. We are decent people taking care of work and family responsibilities, indulging in enjoyable pastimes, and are generally happy.
However, without clear direction, our desires and activities twist in the winds of influence from family, friends, and society. We will spend too much time on fruitless or reasonable but unimportant endeavors and experience the high cost of missed opportunities.
This message is not a deathbed, look-back-on-my-life, I spent too much time at the office lamentation. The purpose is forward-looking, encouraging us to establish a guiding principle – thoughtfully considered desires and a framework for living them.
How?
There is no exclusive word to describe a guiding principle; it can be good, purposeful, meaningful, happy, rewarding, etc.
Nor is there one method to develop a guiding principle. One can use a mission, vision, values; life purpose; personal constitution; or any other process espoused by personal development experts.
I also have a life purpose statement, the knight who loves others. I do not invest mental or emotional energy wondering if my life purpose inspires me to live a fulfilling life or if living a fulfilling life enables my life purpose. Suffice to say; they work in harmony.
Nor is there a singular process for using a guiding principle. A Google search for “how to live a good life” yields over 8 billion results.
The only requirement is establishing a guiding principle and abiding by it. If you do not choose, you make the choice to endure the consequences of its absence.
Mine
After serious but not paralyzing reflection, I choose “fulfilling,” commonly defined as providing happiness and satisfaction. Fulfilling is not simply finding happiness or satisfaction but includes the activities necessary to bring them about. Fulfilling meets the emotional need for challenge, growth, and success.
I use the continuous (”ing”) tense because life is a journey, and the verb tense indicates perpetual motion. Fulfilling means evolving to and through satisfying stages of life.
The fulfilling principle is built upon peace, joy, and accomplishment. Over the next three weeks, I will define them and their importance to a fulfilling life.
I cannot write about something so fundamental to my life without mentioning that my guiding principle and its components are inspired by, consistent with, and embody my faith. Faith formed my guiding principle and it brings life to my faith.
Yours
I would be delighted for you to adopt my words, but the words must be yours – ones that resonate with you and stir you to action.
Given the space limitation, my process recommendation is elementary. What it lacks only you can provide. Perhaps we have arrived at the perfect waystation – where my message ends and at the launching pad for your serious contemplation.
Over the next week, use three separate, quiet five-minute periods to think of, reconsider, and decide on your word(s). Do not fear you are etching them in stone; they will change over time based on your experiences as you live them.
If you are comfortable, I invite you to share your words with me. I hope to respond with something helpful. In every case, I will use your words to improve mine.
