In pursuing the ultimate perspective on the subject matter of personal fulfillment over many, many months, week after week after week, I have come to this rather mundane conclusion: every answer to any question that one might care to pose about it is always already available.
This declaration is not unlike the cosmic declaration that I might make with respect to having ready access to an infinite number of realities and timelines with which and by which to realize an optimal life and design an optimal lifestyle for myself as I author the best story of my life.
The term best here is absolutely key, following as it does the terms good and better as bases of comparison. To wit: what is good (for me)? What is better (for me)? What is best (for me)? The body has one answer, the mind has another answer, and the heart has yet another.
With respect to approaching a realization of the ultimate in personal fulfillment, could this be the mother of all questions: are my body, my mind, and my heart attuned and aligned as and when I respond to these questions of what is good, better, and best for me? If not, why not?
If so, is there really anything more to say and do to realize the ultimate in personal fulfillment?
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In drilling down into the nitty-gritty of crafting a life of personal fulfillment, the term optimize is useful, compelling us to take a good, hard, close look at the practicalities of living a fulfilling life, making the best or most effective, efficient use of any situation, opportunity, or resource.
As an ongoing exercise, ask yourself: how aligned am I with my opportunities and resources, no matter how modest they might be? And how attuned am I, meaningfully and purposefully, to the situations (at home, at work, at play, in the world at large) in which I find myself?
Even beginning to think and feel and choose and speak and behave and act in terms of optimizing and realizing and actualizing can go a long way towards resting and moving and flowing into a space where personal satisfaction and fulfillment arise easily, naturally, effortlessly.
But really and truly, where do we begin to get a foothold on fulfillment? With all of my experience with exploring the nature and meaning and purpose of personal fulfillment, I would respectfully suggest that we start at the end of the process of living and loving our best lives.
Some very wise souls among us have suggested that we journal a conversation with our own 100-year-young self from the future: “hey there, wise old young self, what advice on living optimally and approaching the ultimate in personal fulfillment do you have to share with me?”
Hello, future self …
I am dead and gone; I didn’t make it to the year 100.
I’m so sorry to hear that …
Given your current trajectory, there was no possible way for me to make it that far.
Tell me what you think I must do to change my trajectory so that I can.
I honestly don’t know.
Were you taken out by an accident?
No.
Did you pass away from an illness or a disease?
My poor heart gave out.
This tells me I must do more to feed the heart of my soul.
And properly nourish the heart in your body, I would add.
Thank you for that. I appreciate you sharing this with me.
No worries. We are always free to choose a new path.
I’d like to think so. Thanks again.
Other very wise souls among us have suggested that we access the wisdom and the guidance of a higher Self, our True Selves in 6D, if you will, to kick start a collaboration into crafting a vision of our best selves and best lives at some point in the future in, say, 2, 3, or 5 years.
Greetings from Sol on the third planet earth.
Hello.
Would you mind if we had a chat?
Not at all.
I’d like some help in crafting a vision of my best self and my best life two years from now. Would you be willing to guide me?
Of course.
Where do I start?
Where indeed?
‘Tis a complex undertaking, yes?
Only as complex as you wish to make it.
I agree wholeheartedly. Let me see … do I focus first on the external or the internal, on the extrinsic or the instrinsic, on the outcome or the intent?
Excellent question. What do you think?
For me, I think my choice of focus really depends on how I wish to live my life.
What do you mean?
Do I wish to settle on a routine way of living my life and surround myself with valuable things?
Or …
Do I wish to break with routine altogether and flow from one desirable experience to another?
And your answer is …
I have to be honest with you. I don’t know yet …
I think you know, deep down.
/tbc
Other very wise souls among us have suggested that we tap into the wisdom of a future self who is lying helplessly albeit peacefully on its deathbed just before transitioning into the Great Beyond: “hello there, I feel your helplessness; is there anything you wish to say to me?”
Hello there, I can see you lying in bed on the brink of death and I truly feel your helplessness; is there anything you wish to say to me?
No need to be sad, my friend. I lived a good life.
Just a good life?
You know as well as I do that this life was not all peaches and cream.
Any regrets?
I settled, and it was the biggest mistake of my life.
In what way did you settle?
In every way; with enough courage, I could have lived an extraordinary life.
Damn. I’m sorry to hear that.
Me and you both.
What do you suggest I do?
At some point, you need to be willing to break with routine, to shed the patterns, to open up to novel ways of living and learning and loving.
I know.
I know you know; you can do this, you know.
I know, but it won’t be easy.
It’s never easy, except when it is.
I know. Thank you.
Other very wise souls among us have suggested that we imagine taking a trip to the future in view of our own funeral (or lack of one) and simply observe the proceedings, asking yourself: “what do I imagine others are saying about me? how do I wish to be remembered?”
It all seems so very strange. People I don’t know, people I’ve never seen before. What happened to my family? What happened to my friends? The body is being prepared for cremation and the flames are licking, ready to consume the body. A chill runs through my spirit. Everyone is observing quietly and so I link up with the thoughts of those present and catch fragments of commonly expressed sentiments: “a good person”, “a good life”, “a good death”. I feel disappointed – it’s all so general and vague. Who are these people?
Last but not least, consider: how would you like your panoramic Life Review to play out after you die?
In my next post, I touch on this prospect, delving more deeply into the topic of “optimize to actualize”.
In the meantime, I cordially invite you to get your feet wet with some of the exercises provided above.
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To share information and inspiration on what is happening on this troubled yet promising world, I drew up two lists of sites that are serving the causes of personal, global and/or cosmic awakening.
This post has been filed under Ideal in the Ultimate Outline.
Note: my evolving outline on approaching a realization of the ultimate in personal fulfillment can be found here, accessible from the nav menu under the page “Be Here Now”.
Note: this ever growing perspective began here: Ultimate Perspective