Here’s a list of the elements I consider essential to living a deeply fulfilling life.

Passion:

  • Figure out what you love to do. People are happier when they do what they love.
  • Do it often. Doing what you love makes you feel more fulfilled.
  • Remove things from your life that are mediocre, beige, flat, or merely tolerable. You only have so much time, attention, and energy. Don’t waste it on what doesn’t matter.
  • Courage:

  • Know what’s important to you.
  • Know why it’s important to you.
  • Because, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” F. Roosevelt
  • Kindness:

  • Learn to be good to others and do it as much as possible.
  • Learn to be good to yourself and do it as much as possible.
  • Go out of your way every day to do something especially nice for a total stranger.
  • Gratitude:

  • Pay attention to all the wonderful things that are a part of your life both large and small.
  • Thank people for what they bring to your life.
  • Learn to find gratitude even for the things and people that you find difficult.
  • Contemplation:

  • Take a few moments each day to sit quietly.
  • Keep a journal.
  • Learn to listen fully to what someone is saying. Really take it in before responding.
  • Forgiveness:

  • Make a list of everyone in your life that you have an unresolved issue with and find a way to resolve that issue within yourself and (if possible) with them.
  • Forgive yourself.
  • Make it a practice to forgive others as quickly as possible.
  • Play:

  • Make time to be creative in ways that please you the most.
  • Laugh as much as possible.
  • Remember that your life is what you dream it to be.
  • Does one of these essential elements particularly resonate with you? If so, I suggest that you write it down and put it somewhere you will see it every day. Every little reminder you create for yourself will help you stay on track!