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Six
Tips for a More Fulfilled Life
--by
Marsha D. Egan, CPCU, ACC
To have
a more fulfilling life, it is helpful for you to try to run your
life rather than having it “run you.” Here are some tips to help
you do that.
Know and Live your Values
First
of all, it is important for you to know what your values are.
Values drive the way you live your life. They are the backbone that
will help you make decisions when there is no roadmap. Values are
personal, and they should be yours alone. Take some time and write
them down.
It’s a
challenge to continually live your values. That’s why it is
important to write them down and review them regularly. It has been
said that people judge you by your actions, while you judge yourself
by your intentions. Make sure your actions and intentions match!
Have Goals
Once
you’ve articulated your values, it’s time for you to think about
your life goals. Some of these are long term, and some can be short
term. The harsh reality is that only about 2% of everyone in the
world has goals. Yet goals are instrumental in helping people
achieve what they want. But even more than that, it is important to
have goals that are BIG. It’s true that if you write goals down,
you’ll be much more likely to accomplish them. So try it. See what
happens!
When
you have goals, you have focus. They will give you direction and
purpose. They enable you to work your plan, rather than planning
your work. They give you a greater sense of control and excitement
for your life.
Live in Balance
Values
and goals are lived best when you have balance in your life.
Fulfillment in one area fuels each other area. Too much emphasis in
one area can drain the others. It’s important to assess your
balance, from time to time, and to take steps to assure that your
life is well rounded physically, emotionally, intellectually,
attitudinally and purposefully.
Live in the Moment
When
you believe that only YOU control your attitude, and you combine it
with recognizing your ability to live in the moment, you can truly
control your enjoyment of life. Too many people live in the past or
the future, and it inhibits their abililty to enjoy the actual
moment they’re experiencing. You have a CHOICE to be happy or sad,
a CHOICE to worry or anticipate, a CHOICE to be positive or
negative. What is yours?
Be Passionate
Lastly,
it is important that you fill your life with passion. Be passionate
about who you are, what you have, and what you do. If you don’t
have passion for these things, you are just walking through your
life. Knowing that your attitude is your choice, you can also have
a choice about being passionate.
Be Willing to Change
When
some part of your life soesn’t seem to be working, you should be
willing to make changes. Changing is difficult, but a lackluster
life may be even more difficult over the long run! Figure out what
it is you want to change, set a goal to do it, work that plan, then
celebrate your new fulfillment!
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How to
determine Your Values:
When
you write your values, write them in the present. Here are some
examples: “I am financially secure,” “I add value,” “I am
physically fit.” Here are some areas that you might consider for
articulating your values: finances, community, family,
relationships, work, education, health, and attitude.
The
best way to set about articulating your values is to take some
private time, and write down as many of your values as you can.
They will start to fall into groups or categories with a major value
defining them. They’ll fall into values with clarifying
statements. Here’s an example:
I am
financially secure
--I pay
my bills in advance
--I
save x% of my income
--I
have X% of my salary in reserve
--I
review my insurance annually
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How to
Write Goals
Goals
should describe the result, or what success looks like, rather than
the way you will get there. Don’t say, “I will be on the ABC diet
for 3 weeks,” because that describes the means, rather than the
end. Goals should also be SMART: Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Relevant and Timebound. Instead of saying, “I want to
lose weight,” it’s more effective to say, “I will lose 10 pounds by
May 1. By giving yourself definite targets with specific dates, your
chances of meeting or exceeding your goals will increase.
Some of
the goals might drive directly from your values; as an example, if
your value is to save x% of your income, and you are not there yet,
That could be one of your goals.
I like
to have my clients vision themselves at age ninety, sitting on their
front porches, rocking happily, thinking back on their lives,
smiling over what they’d accomplished. If that were you, what would
those accomplishments be? To put a child through college? To run
a marathon? To visit every state in the US?
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COPYRIGHT: Copyright 2004
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