Personal Fulfillment Everyone Needs in Life | Jack Canfield

Hi there. I'm Jack Canfield, co creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and author of the Success Principles. And today I'd like to talk about an extremely important aspect of success that I think a lot of people overlook when they think about their own personal success and what it looks like for them. And I'm talking about personal fulfillment, because true success is about so much more than just accumulating wealth or achieving career milestones, although, of course, those can be important aspects of your journey. But real success isn't what you achieve or get in life. It's about how you feel. And today I'd like to explore the five key things that I believe everybody needs in their life to feel a deep sense of personal fulfillment, regardless of everything else they achieve or don't achieve. And if you choose to create the experience of these five things, you will now have the experience of true fulfillment, no matter what else is happening in the world around you. And the great thing is, you can create these pretty quickly. And remember, these things aren't things you need to obtain, they're experiences you need to feel. So the first key thing that everybody needs for personal fulfillment is a clear sense of purpose. Now, after 55 years of working with people, I believe that each of us is born with a life purpose, and that identifying and honoring this purpose is probably the most important action you can take to experience true fulfillment. Now, it may take a little time to discover what you've been born to do, but my experience is that people who discover and choose to fulfill that purpose with passion and enthusiasm are the happiest people I know. And that's because when you have a clear sense of purpose and you commit to fulfilling it, everything in life seems to fall into place with less effort. It's easier for you to make smart decisions for your life because you run every choice through the filter of is this aligned with my purpose or not? Which allows you to choose actions that will lead you closer to where your true fulfillment lies. And when you are acting in alignment with your purpose, you also find it much easier to naturally attract the people, the resources, and the opportunities you need to achieve your goals. And it's been my experience that the universe tends to respond much more quickly and strongly and positively to people who act in alignment with their purpose. Now, when you don't have a strong sense of purpose, it's also too easy to get sidetracked on your journey and get stuck pursuing detours that move you further away from where you're meant to go in life. So if you're hoping to achieve true success and fulfillment in life. The first thing I recommend you focus on is getting really clear on what your purpose is. And if you don't know, take the time to focus on finding out what it is. The second chapter of my book, the Success how to get from where you Are to Want to Be, is called Be Clear why youy're Here. And it contains an exercise you can do to help you clarify your purpose. And once clarified, your purpose will become a powerful compass that will help guide your way forward and help you stay on track as you work toward creating a meaningful and successful and fulfilling life. Now, the next thing that everyone needs to experience true fulfillment is love. I don't necessarily mean romantic love, all that certainly is wonderful. I mean deep, selfless love for other people, whether they are family members, friends, your romantic partner, or for humanity at large. Now, we humans are social animals, and it's part of our intrinsic nature to feel love for others and know that we are loved and valued in return in order to feel truly fulfilled. Now, I suspect that one of the reasons why the pandemic has made so many people so frustrated, anxious, unhappy and angry these days is because all of the political and social divisiveness have done a lot of damage to people's relationships and made it hard for them to feel the kind of love they want to feel for others and receive from others as well. Now, if I could wave a magic wand, this is one of the things I would love to change in our society. First and foremost, to help us all remember that everyone, no matter what their beliefs and positions are, is a human being who needs and deserves love and kindness, and that everyone is doing the best they can with whatever the awareness, the knowledge, the understanding, the skills and the tools they have to deal with their perceived needs. And I know it can be hard when others are doing things that we can't understand and we don't agree with. But when we choose to interact from a place of love and compassion, our actions not only create a better solution for the world and for them, but they also leave us feeling much more connected to our true self and therefore feeling more fulfilled. And that brings us to the next key factor that everybody needs to experience true fulfillment in life. And that is a deep sense of connection with with the world around them. Now, this can be a connection to a community such as a church, a sports team, a meditation group, a volunteer organization, your co workers, a job, or even the larger local community in which you live. It can also be connection to the natural world around you by taking long walks in nature, or time spent gardening or time interacting with animals. When you feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself, it helps you transcend your individual limitations and awakens a sense of awe and and appreciation for the universe around you. It gives your life a richer meaning and can foster a deeper contentment with your place in the world. Now, another key factor that I believe everyone needs to feel true fulfillment is a sense of freedom. People want to feel like they're in control of their own destiny, that they have the power to make and act on their own choices. I think that's another big reason why we see so much anger in the society right now. Freedom is an incredibly important value for most people, especially in the United States, where we proudly call ourselves the Land of the Free. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who are concerned that their freedoms will be taken away. And whether you agree with them or not, that doesn't change the fact that their concerns are having a big impact on their lives and on our society in general. And rather than condemning them and dismissing their fears and fostering greater division between people with different points of view, I think it's incredibly important for all of us to recognize we all long for personal autonomy over our own lives. And it's much better for us to meet people where they are than to reject, belittle, or demonize them. If you want to experience inner peace, which is an aspect of fulfillment, it's also important to remember that it is about your beliefs about how people and things should be or shouldn't be that create the upset you experience, not the people or things themselves. Now, finally, the last key element that I believe we all need in order to experience truthful things, fulfillment in life is an acknowledgement that who we are and what we do is enough. By that I mean having a deep and unshakable understanding that you are enough and that your life is enough just as they are. And if you're always questing after the next big thing to prove your worthiness and never feeling like you're enough or you've acquired enough wealth or possessions or power or experiences, you will never be able to experience true fulfillment. Instead, you'll always feel restless and discontent, like there's something more you should be doing to be enough. But true fulfillment comes when you have deep satisfaction and appreciation for everything you have in your life right now. And that's why having a daily gratitude practice is one of the most powerful things I teach because it helps you cultivate a deep appreciation for all of the beauty and all of the magic of your life, regardless of your current circumstances or what you've achieved or how much money you have or don't have in the bank. And an attitude of gratitude is something you can start cultivating more of right this very instant, simply by taking a few minutes every day to stop and acknowledge all that you have to be grateful for. I guarantee that no matter what your current life looks like, you have more to be grateful for than you might imagine. And when you take a few moments every day to focus on that, your experience of life will become more positive and and more richly fulfilling in ways you can't even imagine. So those are five things that I believe every human being needs in order to feel more fulfilled. A clear sense of your purpose. Love, connection with others and with nature. Freedom and a belief that you are enough just the way you are. So I invite you to pause for a moment and reflect on which one do you feel like you need more of in your life? A clearer sense of purpose? More love? A deeper connection with others and with the natural world? A greater sense of freedom? Or the conviction that indeed you are enough just the way you are. And by identifying which of these might be missing in your life and doing the work necessary to fill in the gaps, you'll be able to increase the amount of personal fulfillment that you feel. Alright, well, that's it for today. So take some time to really think about these five areas in your life and identify one action that you'll commit to taking to start experiencing a greater sense of fulfillment in your life. And then please share that action in the comments below. By taking the time to state your intention publicly, you will increase your chances that you'll actually do it. And if you found this video helpful, I invite you to take a moment to like it, perhaps share it with a friend who may need it. And if you haven't yet, go ahead and subscribe to this channel. For more videos like this one, and for some additional tools and videos on how to experience more fulfillment in your life, check out the resource page on my website@jackcampfield.com there's a ton of great free things there. Thanks again for watching. Have a great day.