Living a Fulfilled Life

One of my biggest priorities is living a life that is both fulfilling and rewarding. I have done my best to set up my life to support an existence of contentment and being present in the moment. I try to focus less on the future and more on the here and now. We only have this moment. When we tell ourselves we can only be happy when we accomplish a certain thing, happiness will be difficult to find. We need to be content with where we are right now. This can be difficult at times, but it’s all about mindset. It’s not about how much money you make or how much cool stuff you own. It’s about having gratitude for what we do have. The way I personally live my life might not be what others want, and that is okay. I learned in the last few years that we all live completely different lives. How cool is that? We all have different priorities and needs. We all have different passions and hobbies. An ideal life looks different for all of us. Sadly, I believe a lot of people have dreams and convince themselves that they’re not obtainable. That’s wrong. Anything in this life is possible by taking charge and making it a reality.

How I live my life

I used to be ashamed of the way I lived my life. I felt like a failure and that I wasn’t doing enough. At 18, I chose not to go to college like most people I knew. That just isn’t the path I wanted to pursue. I value learning and education; however, the traditional school environment made me unhappy. I didn’t want to feel pressured to do something just because that’s what everyone else did. I also don’t want to feel less worthy because I chose to take a different life path than other people. I wanted to focus on work. I work at places that make me excited to be part of their culture and environment. My goal is to work at a job that has flexibility, so I am able travel and live my life. I also value feeling accomplished at work; that’s always a great feeling. Though it can be difficult to find a job with these attributes, it’s certainly possible.

This year, I stepped out of my comfort zone and worked a corporate, “big girl” office job for 6 months. I learned that it didn’t align with how I wanted to live my life at this time. I wasn’t down on myself for that opportunity not working out. Life is all about trial and error. I looked at it as a learning experience. Maybe that job will align with my values one day, but as of right now, it is okay that it doesn’t. After leaving that job, I went and became a server. I’m now so glad I made this decision. Going through this at the time was rough, but I realized going through difficult situations helps me appreciate the good. I am grateful for every life experience, good or bad. I wouldn’t have known until I tried it. I’m here to say that there are so many different paths you can choose in life. I am on the journey of finding mine, but I am content through the process. There is no rush in figuring it out.

I learned a lot about myself during my time working in an office. After that situation, I really sat down and asked myself, “how do I want to live my life?” I want to live my life with gratitude. I want to prioritize my mental/ physical health, and I want to spend time creating memories with people that I love. And that is exactly what I am doing. I currently work around 4-5 days a week, go to therapy, exercise, travel as much as possible, go out with friends every week, journal/ self-reflect, spend quality time with my family, and take a lot of time for myself. After having mental illness control my life for so many years as a teenager, I just want to live a balanced, healthy life in my early 20’s. That’s all I can ever ask for. This looks different for everyone, but this is how I live my life. I’m currently content but of course still have my struggles. But it is possible to adjust your life to meet your needs. I try not to let the judgment of others affect how I choose to set up and live my life. We are all on different journeys and on different timelines. I think more people need to realize that. I’m currently 21 and living at home with my parents while a lot of my friends have their own apartments on their own. But I am so happy with where I am at. I am not ashamed but proud of myself. I’m finding my way in this crazy world just like everyone else is. If something makes me happy, it doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else.

Self-Reflect

No matter what path we choose to take in life, it’s always great to take a step back and ask ourselves these questions:

• Am I doing things that I really want to do? Or am I doing these things out of obligation?
• Am I doing things that I was once excited about but have now lost interest in? Am I choosing this path because I’ve given in to anxiety, fear of disappointing someone or embarrassment? Do I feel like I am doing what is expected of me or that changing my mind would make me a failure?
• Am I not following my dreams because I think I’m not good enough?
• Am I living someone else’s dream? Am I doing something because someone else wants me to? 
• Am I falling into societal pressures?

These are difficult questions to ask ourselves. We must really dig deep. Sometimes realizing these things about ourselves can be overwhelming. I can relate. Whenever we put in the work to self-actualize and prioritize self-awareness, we are setting ourselves up for positive results. It helps to not fall under these life pressures whether it’s societal pressure, cultural pressure, parental pressure, or the pressure we put on ourselves. Any of these can make a person do something that deep down, they don’t really want to do. I learned that we need to put ourselves first in these situations. I try to do what’s best for me, even if it doesn’t make sense to other people. At the end of the day, it’s not anyone else’s life. I don’t want to live out someone else’s dream. And I empathize that it can be hard to not give in to pressure. I can also relate to this. But I learned not to care what people think of me. After letting this go, I found my inner peace. And that is the greatest gift.

There are many reasons why we don’t live out our dreams, give in to pressure and live our lives in ways that don’t feel authentic. Living a fulfilling life is something we must work for, and it is so rewarding. No one’s life is going to be perfect; it’s impossible. But it is possible to wake up and have gratitude for what we have in any situation. I try my best to appreciate the little things each day like seeing a butterfly, ordering my favorite coffee, or enjoying my morning skin care routine. I romanticize my life! I am the main character in my story. I learned to see beauty in the smallest things. Changing my mindset helped my quality of life in a positive way. I was so tired of being negative and self-loathing. If I wanted change, I had to do something about it, so I worked at it. Everyone deserves to wake up and feel happy. I acknowledge that we all experience rough patches and have difficult days and struggles. One bad day doesn’t mean a bad life. I remind myself of this on my hard days. Mindset is key.

I hope this blog inspired you. I am not perfect in any way, but this way of thinking has helped me live a healthier life overall. I’m glad I can share it and hope it can help you as well. I have good and bad days, it’s a part of being human. But I try my best to make the days mostly good… that’s the goal! Here’s your sign to create your ideal life, follow your passions, live with gratitude, and not let the opinions of others affect you or how you live your life.