Katharina Buczek
If not, though, that is completely okay.
First of all, being honest with yourself and evaluating your own needs and wants is not a bad thing. And by taking a closer look at your life, you can start to make meaningful changes, switching the narrative about your end goal from “success” to “fulfillment.”
Too often, people use their jobs as crutches to delay their true desires. We have all fallen victim to it: claiming not to have enough time or money to do what we really want. But, this statement is detrimental for a few reasons.
Primarily, it is one of the oldest excuses in the book– so most people can relate, meaning that no one will hold you accountable. Plus, this mindset allows you to think that you are “off the hook,” as if your life is no longer in your hands and your reality can be blamed on something else.
Quite frankly, though, you have to realize that only you decide how to live your life. Every day is a direct consequence of our own decisions– of how we choose to live out our minutes, days, and hours on Earth.
It might sound existentialist, but it’s true. Absolutely nothing in our lives is guaranteed– whether that be salaries, partners, future children, or the length of our existence.
So, at the end of the day, we have to start putting fulfillment first. Again, you may not be able to quit your job and relocate to an idyllic remote island to achieve your ideal feelings of peace.
But if you recognize that your own inner fulfillment is worth investing in, then you can start making tiny choices every single day to put yourself first.
Stop running on the hamster wheel and chasing after someone else’s vision of “success,” and start working toward your own. Nourish relationships or finally book that vacation you have been putting off for years. Sign up for an art class, try out yoga, or just take some time to breathe at the end of the day.
Whatever it is that makes you feel fulfilled, just start doing it. And if you don’t really know yet, begin trying out new experiences.
The most important thing you have to realize is that nurturing your own feelings of joy, self-worth, and meaning is a part of being “successful.” And from there, we can start to define what our own versions of “success” look like.
