A Little Bit More Fulfillment

I had lunch with a friend this week who like many of us, seems to be living in the world of limbo. She works in a job that is being phased out and she needs to find something new but she isn’t sure what she wants to do or what will give her life more meaning. If I had a penny for every time I heard this or felt this myself, I swear I’d be a millionaire.

I don’t know why this happens. Once again, I’m going to push this question to all those who study the human mind as a profession. That being said, I have felt this and I’ve known others who have felt “a little bit lost” and as a result, I’ve had to think my way through the feelings. In my own case, I believe a lot of times we are simply looking for more fulfillment. This could come in the form of a job that makes us happy or volunteering on the side or even taking up a hobby we love.

As kids, our parents tell us we can do whatever we want if we just put our minds to it. This may be the truth for some folks but for most, life is full of tradeoffs. I could leave my day job and spend time writing but I’d be giving up a lot of benefits for the possibility of happiness—it isn’t even a guarantee. As such, I try to write when I can on the side and while that hasn’t been much lately, my hope is that it will change as my kids get older. That gives me my fulfillment (that and volunteering to help others on the side).

In the meantime, you have to be willing to accept the tradeoff and do what you can to find that “balance” that keeps you riding the ups and downs of life.

Happy writing this week!