Discovering Fulfilment in Life and Work – Mini Module 1

As it is the start of a brand new year, everyone looks to make resolutions for ‘better’ everything, weight, fitness, working harder, promotion to name but a few. I don’t! Never, ever… I fully accept that they work brilliantly for some people, but not for me – I find resolutions so constraining, I don’t like putting myself in a cage and under pressure – there are enough people out there already trying to do that for me 😉

I find having a Big 5 for Life (brilliant book by John P Strelecky), asking yourself 5 questions and choosing 3 words are a wonderfully inspiring and productive way to find more fulfilment in life and work. It is what I do all the time and it is a wonderful way to bring more pleasure and fulfilment into your life.

The Big 5 for Life is along the lines of having a bucket list, only better and more attainable. It is in constant evolution as you achieve your passions. Another thing I particularly like about this idea is the focus on small adaptations to your life to bring more of your dreams into your everyday reality so you are experiencing it in the present, enjoying the journey and not just having some distant unattainable dream in the future.

The key is to really know what your passions are, many people don’t! You search deep down into what makes you feel good, what energises you and what really makes you come alive when you are thinking, reading, seeing, imagining and doing it. I will be continuing with a more in depth article on this (and the 5 questions and 3 words) in the coming weeks which will help you really find your passions and how to incorporate them into your life. It is great fun! Just thinking about writing the articles makes me start smiling J.

It is best to do this in stages so you have time to really think about it. If you give yourself several days on each stage you will find more ideas come to the surface. Some of our greatest passions are long dormant silmply because we have been so busy I our lives that we haven’t had the time to pay attention to them. Now is the time to free them and let the spark re-ignite into a flame!

So let’s start this week with what immediately springs to mind, both in your personal and your professional life. Get a piece of paper, divide it in two and on the left side of the page write a list of what you like doing best, not your spouse, not your family or friends, not your colleagues, just you, the others come later… Don’t restrict yourself in any direction. The idea is to really let your feelings flow. Write down at least 20 ideas (or more). Now for each of them on the right hand side of the page write down what it is about it that you like doing, how does it make you feel. What emotion can you associate with the idea?

To finish up this first stage, circle any that have recurring feel-good factors associated with the ideas, any that have the same recurring emotions. Underline the top 3 emotions and keep coming back to the ideas and emotions over the next week. In all you do on a daily basis just note to yourself when you feel these emotions and what you are doing at the time.