Part 4 of 7 The Mindset of Success

Material things, money and passion - we have covered several things so far in figuring out what the mindset of success is all about. This is part four of a seven part series and this week I will be covering fulfillment. Now I have to admit, the term fulfillment is one of my favorites. It says so much and runs so deep. So much of the time, people look for the shiny things in life - cars, homes, money and, in some cases, even people. I would venture to guess that what they are really looking for is fulfillment. If you were to take a poll today of 100 people at random, I would guess that over 90% of those people would tell you that they are not experiencing any or very little fulfillment in their jobs. I know this because I use to be one of those people and I have met many! I have worked many jobs where at the end of the day, I had not felt as though I fulfilled anything of importance. Hence, a lot of the people around me also felt the same way. I know because I would ask them. Through my late 20’s and into my mid 30’s, I studied and learned what fulfillment is all about. Previous to that, I knew I was missing something in my jobs, I felt so empty at the end of the day. It was not until I started doing something where my talents, strengths and sincere interest lied that I caught a glimpse of what fulfillment really is and what it feels like to experience it. When is the last time you felt fulfilled at what it is you do for a job or a career? Was it yesterday? Was it last week? How about last year? I think that sometimes people mistake success for fulfillment. I say this because being fulfilled at your job can and usually will give us some sense of feeling successful. I know it did for me. All those years of working those dead end jobs (that’s what I thought they were) and then one day I started doing something that made me feel like I was making a difference. I was valued. What I did made a profound difference and people looked up to me. I remember the feeling I felt when I started to achieve some fulfillment in my job. I was excited to go to work and I was excited to get up every morning. I looked forward to my appointments the next day. I felt empowered to go out and make a difference because I knew that I was bringing value to my clients and it was like nothing I had ever done before. I was no longer just a body. I was no longer just a number to be thrown out. I was now someone who had the means to better people’s lives. All of that led me to my own fulfillment and to see a whole new side of what it was to go to work every day. It is so obvious and clear to me that most successful people probably find a lot of fulfillment in what it is they do. It does not matter what it is, it only matters that they do. Top seasoned sales professionals usually aren’t real particular in what it is they are selling. They have a passion for selling and find their fulfillment when they engage and navigate the process of selling with their prospect. It’s not the thing that they have sold that gets them excited, it is the process in which they do it. This is where their passion lies. When we can find a job, business or a service where we can use our passion and find fulfillment while doing it, our odds of being successful at that will be profoundly higher. It no longer feels like work. Our time spent is now more enjoyable, it gives us energy to push through when things get tough. It does not mean that everything is perfect. It means things are in line with who we are and what we are all about. I know that for most people, finding their passion can be one of the hardest things to accomplish. Most kids are not raised to seek out their passion. They are raised to work for money, find a good secure job or go to college and get an education, then find a job they can do well with and stick it out until retirement. I guess there is nothing wrong with this line of thinking, but finding your passion and doing a job that brings you fulfillment in your life is much deeper and far more rewarding than just working for money. Have a great Friday everyone, next week we will go over who you are going to become while on this journey to success. Be blessed.