Passion, Purpose & Profit: Are You Fulfilled?
Don Roulo is the CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Life Quest. He is a life, career and business coach as well as a Certified 48 Days Workshop Facilitator. He travels nationally and internationally to conduct business and career training as well as marriage and family workshops.
By DON ROULO
Do you feel fulfilled in your life? Do you know the difference between the feeling of accomplishment and fulfillment? Where does fulfillment come from and how do we get it?
Let me start by telling you where you don’t get it. Fulfillment does not come from status, position, authority or money. There are too many very wealthy people who have power and prestige who are miserable and unfulfilled.
In our work life we think closing the big deal, having our ideas used by our boss, or having others recognize our efforts is fulfillment. This gives us a sense of accomplishment, which is good, but it is fleeting. The feeling of accomplishment comes when we complete a task and we have done it to the best of our ability. Accomplishment and fulfillment are not the same.
True, long lasting fulfillment only comes in one way. It comes when we do something for others without the thought of getting something in return. It comes when we give of our time, not just money. Donating $20 to a charity is nice, but if you are seeking fulfillment you need to give your time in service to others.
Let me share something which happened to me recently I believe will explain fulfillment. A little over a month ago I had the honor and privilege of speaking at the North Webster Memorial Day Service. Two days after I spoke I was in our local CVS picking up a couple of things.
A man who I did not know looked at me and I could tell he wanted to say something. He made his way over to me and shook my hand. As he shook my hand he said, ‘I just want to thank you for something you said during your speech at the Memorial Day Service. I happen to be one of the men you were talking about and I want to thank you for what you said about Vietnam vets.’
While he was talking to me, tears filled his eyes. During the service I took a moment to say ‘Welcome home and thank you’ to our Vietnam vets specifically. He went on to say he was one of those Vietnam vets I mentioned. Tears continued to well up in his eyes. He told me how much it meant to him that I welcomed him home and thanked him for his service. It was all I could do to keep the tears from flowing from my eyes at that point.
I spoke at the service because I wanted to honor our heroes. I was not seeking to get anything in return – just give. The sense of fulfillment I still feel from this is incredible. To be a part of helping someone or making them feel better about their life is where we get our sense of fulfillment. Making more money, getting a promotion, or even changing jobs will not give you a deep feeling of fulfillment.
If you feel unfulfilled you need to consider how you can serve others without thinking about getting something in return. What can you do to feel fulfilled? Help someone at work achieve their goals. Take the time to help someone move into their new house. Go spend your Saturday volunteering for a local charity. These things I mentioned have a common thread. They are examples of giving your time to others, not just giving money. Giving our time to serve others is the only way to gain the feeling of fulfillment. What can you personally do to feel fulfilled?