4 Paths to Personal Fulfillment

Sep 28

There isn’t an end to fulfillment. There isn’t an age range in which you need to understand what fulfills you either. But, what I will tell you, is that when you do discover the things that make you feel entire, you’ll know.

Anyone who tells you that you need to be married by 23 and have a kid by 25 follows societal norms and probably doesn’t entirely understand their own true purpose. They think that everyone is supposed to do the same things at the same time in life; not true. Those types of people most likely walk in the paths of others, instead of walking their own path created for them, by Him. They die with regrets and leave their lifes purpose unfulfilled.

I once read a rear view mirror accessory that read, “Do more of what makes you forget to check your phone.” At first, I couldn’t really understand it, but when I finally did, I said to myself “dang, they’re right!” It made me reflect for a while the things that I enjoy doing; that while and after I do them, make me think “Oh shoot, Jalen probably called!” or “Wow, it’s been an hour already!?”, but with a smile and no regretful feeling.

I’m blessed to say that I am one of those people who understands their lifes purpose. It’s going to take an entire lifetime to fulfill, which is ok. But in knowing what it is, I have to understand that there are certain things I need to do to keep me aligned with what that goal, because it’s easy to get off track

Serving Others: Since forever, I have thrived on helping people to become THEIR OWN version of success. No matter how big or small my contribution can be, I offer it. Mentoring, directly or indirectly, lets me know that I’m doing my part to lead Women, especially ones that look like me, in the right direction.

Intellectual Conversation: I find that I so deeply love and admire intellectual conversations so much, that I get frustrated by the involuntarily involvement in small talk w/ small minded people. The conversations that fulfill me are the ones that put me into deep thought; you’ll know because it’ll be clearly written on my face. These are the ones that sometimes leave me with no words to submit to the conversation, only silence.

Writing: I strugged with this a great deal at first. I kept trying to write (journal, blog, IG caption, or whatever) in a way in which the reader would understand. In doing that, I started to barely understand my own words; they sounded like someone else’s. I stopped that and I just wrote the way I seen things in my own head. Those who my words are for will understand it. A century from now, when some researcher or historian gets ahold of my work, I want the difference between mine and others to be drastically different in order to paint the picture of my originality.

Music: Not just any music, music that allows me to escape. I can only escape in private, which is fine with me! My eyes closed and the ability to hear absolutely nothing else. While listening to this special type of music, I am most aligned with my purpose and I’m focused. I first noticed this in 2012, in Afghanistan, while listening to Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia, ULTRA. It was the way the music made me feel so un-present. Lately, it’s been Coldplay, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Fleetwood Mac, and the songs on a Yacht Rock playlist I made.

Know that your fulfillment will evolve, change entirely, dwindle down to 1, or increase to 5 actions. It’s about the connection they have to your soul/passion and life’s purpose. Acknowledge it, you owe it to yourself.