How to Live a Happy and Fulfilled Life

According to a report released by Gallup, the Washington, D.C.-based polling organization, there are twice as many “actively disengaged” workers in the world as there are “engaged” workers who love their jobs. Gallup found that only 13% of workers feel engaged by their jobs. That means they feel a sense of passion for their work, a deep connection to their employer, and they spend their days driving innovation and moving their company forward. The vast majority, 87% of workers worldwide who, as Gallup puts it, “are emotionally disconnected from their workplaces and less likely to be productive.” In other words, work is more often a source of frustration than one of fulfillment for nearly 90% of the world’s workers.

What is causing 9 out of 10 people to be unsatisfied and unfulfilled in their work? If you are one of the 9, at least you are not alone. Like most people, you probably chose your career based on what you like(d) or what you are good at. After years of looking for passion in your work, you find yourself sleepwalking through your days, or on autopilot. Finally one day, you find the courage to move on and look for the next opportunity. And then the next one. Only to find yourself in an unending spiral of always looking for more.

The answer to fulfillment lies not in the next opportunity. It lies in your WHY. Your PURPOSE. Your DESIGN. Most of us look for the answers in WHAT we do, rather than WHY we do it. No career will ever satisfy you long term. You are designed for a purpose. Finding and fulfilling that purpose is the only way to gain long term satisfaction. 

Does that mean that WHAT you do doesn’t matter? Of course it does. It matters because the right opportunity allows you to fulfill your purpose. And fulfilling your purpose gives you the satisfaction and fulfillment you are seeking. The day to day activities of your work will most likely not fulfill you. If you chose your work wisely, it should provide you the tools necessary to accomplish your purpose. Most of the work that people choose take them away from their purpose rather than fulfill it. For example, if your purpose was to be the best parent possible, working a 9-5 job will hinder that objective.

So HOW should you choose your career? Once you have discovered your purpose, the next step is to figuring HOW you can achieve it before deciding on the career itself. If WHY is the purpose, HOW is the resource question. Resources are tools to help you achieve your purpose. How much time will your purpose require of you? How much money will it take to accomplish it? What types of abilities do you need to develop? What types of contacts do you need to meet? How much energy will it require?

Once you have figured out the answers to the HOW questions, you will then be ready to start tackling the WHAT question.

Cho Lim, Founder of E-Nation

Cho is a leader and mentor at E-Nation dedicated to building an army of role models.