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Fulfillment is "A feeling of pleasure because you are getting what you want from life," according to the
Cambridge dictionary. If that is true, it is difficult to imagine not wanting to be fulfilled. On this website, The Circle of Fulfillment is a process that starts with the basics
(health, joy, vitality, and love). Then it leads you through values, meaning, purpose, goals, and achievement. Living this way will support you in having
a fulfilling life. These are not new concepts.
But the Circle of Fulfillment provides a sensible, organized, concise, and inspiring way to conceive and understand them.
Watch the video below to learn more about fulfillment.
Will Fulfillment Make Me Happy?
You are only in partial control of your happiness because you have a “happiness set point.” That set point is genetically determined
and is responsible for up to 50% of your happiness. In her book The How of Happiness, researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky says that 50%, as high as it is, is not 100%,
so there’s plenty of room for improvement. Your actions, thoughts, and attitudes account for about 40% of your happiness, which is quite significant.
The final 10% is determined by external circumstances.
Lyubomirsky goes on to say that genuinely happy people do not just sit around being content, they make things happen.
They pursue new understandings, seek new achievements, and manage their thoughts and feelings.
So, think about it. What Sonja Lyubomirsky says happy people do is exactly what you will be doing by learning and following the processes of the
Circle of Fulfillment:
- Pursuing new understandings by reading the text and watching the videos
- Managing your thoughts and feelings by clarifying your values, meaning, and purpose
- Seeking new achievements by establishing goals
Optimizing Fulfillment
You may have noticed some recurring phrases on this website, such as "giving to others" and "serving your community."
Can you find happiness and fulfillment without giving back or serving? Generally speaking, you can,
but you will be leaving some good feelings on the table. Why? Two reasons: The first is the most obvious. It feels good to be a good person, and if you do good things
people will reflect that back to you and you will feel ... good! The second is just as compelling: brain chemistry. Contributing to those outside yourself will activate
a dopamine release, but this type of altruistic behavior also activates the release of another neurotransmitter named oxytocin
(see Brain Chemistry), and that will lift your sense of well-being.
Isn't that great? By helping others you'll get good feedback and trigger the release of two "feel good" neurotransmitters, and unlike dopamine-only rewards, giving/serving
rewards do not fade quickly from habituation.
Fulfillment Quotes
"Occasionally in life, there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words.
Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart." Martin Luther King Jr.
"What is it we are questing for? It is the fulfillment of that which is potential in each of us. Questing for it is not an ego trip;
it is an adventure to bring into fulfillment your gift to the world, which is yourself." Joseph Campbell
"If we can align what we uniquely value with a career, then what happens is we trigger flow ... and when we trigger these flow states, we feel fulfilled.
Motivation becomes easy ... we feel pulled to a greater pursuit!"