Gazing into her future as she relaxes into the plush leather executive chair at her second-hand vintage mahogany desk. Clasping her motivationally themed coffee cup as the rays from the sunrise gently splash the brim, deep thoughts penetrate her mind and her soul as she methodically prepares for her day.
She wakes with unprecedented purpose and drive and strategically maps out her day. Keyboard in hand she thoughtfully schedules calls, appointments, and networking activities in her digitally organized world while filling every visible gap with the necessities she mechanically knows to include in her entrepreneurial life.
As she schedules her posts to include her well planned and meticulously created marketing memes, her day transforms from a nestled and gentle cocoon into a rolling boil of nonstop obligatory activities. Phone calls, social media communication, prescheduled video conferencing all blend seamlessly with educational webinars, audiobooks, and podcasts.
She steps back for a moment to observe her creation. Did she forget anything? Sometimes she does. Most times she does.
She knows intuitively that she allotted most of her time to her masterpiece of a day while excluding the foundational nuggets that had her become an entrepreneur in the first place. Has she taken the same thoughtful time to plan cherished moments with herself or her family? Inevitably, she shelves those thoughts for the day that business picks up, a project gets completed or a milestone is reached.
Brilliant to the naked eye, successful on paper and empty on the inside. Fulfillment, the significant missing component to this otherwise well-oiled machine gnaws at her subconscious mind. Am I doing it right? Is this all there is? Am I doing the most valuable job I was placed here to do?
Suddenly she feels very alone. Deeply and inexplicably alone. Alone despite her full life. Alone with her wonder, not knowing how to direct her thoughts and emotions to a place of resolve.
What she may not realize is that highly conscious people have these introspective conversations often. Processing their purpose in comparison to the work they currently do is part of personal and spiritual development. While she is not technically alone at this level of growth, she may not be connected with others who are simultaneously having the same transformational experience.
She carefully chooses whether to take on this adventure alone or hire a professional who can help her create a personalized roadmap to her self discovery. Once she realizes that her aloneness is, in fact, her private life teacher she begins to pay attention to it as the positive entity it is. Probing, internal questions help formulate the mastery of her life and then …. suddenly … a window opens. The window revealing all she ever needed. Fulfillment.
Fulfillment …. she sits with that for a moment. Does she feel fulfilled? Does she even understand what that means to her? She learns that fulfillment is feeling completely satisfied with your life. Unfortunately, fulfillment is highly understated in comparison with freedom, financial reward and fun. As they are all ardently desired and weigh heavily in the personal reward column, you can have all of them while lacking fulfillment and not knowing why you continue to fall short.
She begins to get what’s been missing and why she has felt so empty and alone. Fulfillment cured her aloneness. She couldn’t have both at the same time. She found fulfillment and began to walk with a metaphorical bounce in her step, smiling with content, feeling satiated and alive! Her puzzle is complete. She is complete.
The moral to her story – while compromise is unavoidable, selling out on that which brings fulfillment will make even the best of lives feel empty.
How did she go about finding fulfillment?
She started by doing some of the following:
Taking note of her values and live life accordingly- Doing things she really loved to do more than out of obligation
- Finding things to do that were purposeful in her life (volunteering, creativity, spiritual development just to name a few)
- Listened to her intuition/heart – it knew what she needed
- She stayed open to newness
- She basked in simple pleasures
- She spent time in quiet introspection
Stay true to your joy!
Enthusiastically,
Fran
Fran Asaro is a Virtual Partner helping women entrepreneurs over 50 create fulfilling laptop lifestyles. She helps them build age-appropriate businesses that support dignity, joy, and fun.
Learn more about Fran at Thrive Any Way
Other blogs by Fran Asaro
Pro Bono Doesn’t have to be a NO NO – 9 Ways to benefit when giving away your services
Do you suffer from M.B.I.? (Multiple Business Identities)?
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