The Difference Between Fulfillment and Achievement
Although the main focus of this blog has been to detail the different aspects of the lives of billionaire women, I like to think that it goes deeper than that. After all, we are all human beings, no matter what our income level or our inheritance accounts. That’s why I think that it’s really important for us to take a step back from the every day routine to look inside. It also helps to know what you’re looking for when you peek inside your own dark abyss. Sometimes we like to think that we are all after something different, but Tony Robbins suggests that all human beings are only trying to meet the same few basic needs. One of these needs is the topic for this post today and I’ll go over the two sides of it in more detail now.
Achievement is…
Dictionary definition: A thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage or skill.
It seems today that everyone is fueled by the golden carrot of achievement. This carrot is dangled in front of us day and night and it is something that gets ingrained in us from birth through social conditioning. We want to succeed, we want to be the good child, the one who does well. So we try harder, put more effort into it and develop our skills. We achieve, whether it is what we want or not. We achieve at school and at work. Then we show off our achievements to everyone through the house we buy, the family we build, and the wardrobe we wear. For men everything revolved around their car, for women it can be the size of the ring on their finger or their beautiful home.
We live in an achievement driven environment and if we don’t have anything to show our achievements, then we feel inferior. Do you ever feel weak explaining your career choices to strangers or new acquaintances?
“Oh, I’m a nurse,” you say. Or a hair dresser, a shop keeper, a designer. It doesn’t or shouldn’t matter what your job title is, but somehow it can’t help but bother us if it doesn’t sound prestigious enough. That’s the achievement minded way of life that is making us feel inferior day after day.
Fulfillment is…
Now, fulfillment has two definitions and both of them sound wrong to my ears.
Dictionary definition #1: Satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one’s abilities or character.
This definition implies that you need to do a lot of work to develop your abilities or character, in order to experience fulfillment. The feeling of fulfillment itself is this satisfaction and happiness. But both of these emotions are short term, because satisfaction can be wiped off your face like a cloud covers the sun, and happiness is just a reaction. Yes, it’s unfortunate but happiness tends to be a reaction to some outside circumstance like getting the results you wanted.
Dictionary definition #2: The achievement of something desired, promised, or predicted.
The second definition of fulfillment depends on the achievement of a given thing. This is another way of describing the golden carrot that is dangled in front of us. Once we catch the carrot, only then can we be fulfilled. Even worse, according to this definition we need to achieve something in order to reach the state of fulfillment. So we keep the wheels turning, reaching for more and more achievements in order to get to a place of fulfillment. Because of course, once you reach the end of an achievement there is always something new and exciting that needs to be achieved. So by following this logic, there never would be a time or a place for fulfillment, since we are constantly reaching for our next accomplishments.
What You’re Really After is…
The real definition of fulfillment should be something more like this: A feeling of joy and a knowing that everything is right with you and the world.
Real fulfillment is when you wake up knowing that you are enough, you have everything you will ever need (or it will fall into place soon enough). You are filled with joy, with a deep lasting satisfaction that doesn’t disappear with the changing of circumstances. It is something that stays with you always and that cannot be shaken. Real fulfillment is a belief that you are whole, and yet a part of a greater oneness. It is a sense of being at one with the life force energy, sometimes called God, Goddess, or just love.
I’m not saying that we need to stop achieving anything and become lazy slobs. Of course we still need to strive to be greater and reach our goals. But we need to understand that this driving force does not need to be the only feeling in our hearts. We can be comfortable and joyful without the pat on the back we get from achievement.
How to Get Fulfillment
So how exactly do you wake up every morning feeling this true joy and love of fulfillment? It might be too simple, but the answer is that you go to bed feeling that way.
- Before you close your eyes at night, feel at one with this great universal power of love.
- Feel the smile stretch across your face.
- Be grateful for everything that you are and that you have.
- Count your blessings and know that you are enough.
You have enough and achievements are just like bonus shooting stars flying through the sky. You already have the whole sky and all of the stars to be satisfied with. When you wake up, you will feel lighter, more loving and truly fulfilled. Give this exercise a try for at least 30 days and get ready to be surprised by the benefits you experience in your day to day life.
Sunflower photo courtesy of Mark K.
Similar Posts:
- How to Start Down the Road to Financial Freedom
- Do All Self Made Millionaires Use the Law of Attraction?
- The Missing Ingredient to Success
- Play Your Cards Right, Win Big?
- How To Make Your WorkWeek Work For You Not Against You
 |
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:01 pm
What a wonderful way of looking at achievement and fulfillment.
You said:
Of all of your beautifully written thoughts, this sentence grabbed me the hardest because I have felt this many times. And the solution is in your “what You’re Really After Is…” paragraph.
Thank you,
John
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:43 pm
This is just beautiful. I love your idea that fulfillment isn’t an end goal, it’s a state of mind. Stumbled!
July 24th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
The title alone is brilliant because so often people confuse fulfillment and achievement, or lump the two together. Great post!
July 31st, 2008 at 3:00 am
[...] of Billionaire Woman reminds us that there’s a difference between fulfillment and achievement. It’s a great concept, and the article is well-written. I definitely recommend taking a tour [...]
August 1st, 2008 at 2:08 am
Thoughtful post - thank you. I especially like your four points and that you mentioned feeling gratitude. It’s amazing all that we have in life and it’s important to take the time to be grateful for it.
August 16th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Wonderfully written article!
The fulfillment section was particularly moving for me. The definition you have developed for fulfillment is one of lasting promise. And it is comforting promise. One we can believe in. Thank you for sharing this!