Graveyards they say are the costliest piece of real estate...for therein lies buried zillions of fantastic unfulfilled dreams, hopes, passions, uber ideas, super unwritten books, un-enacted dramas, literature, unexpressed art, uninvented innovations, research, uncomposed music, unperformed dances....you name the field and I can make you count that more number of people have died unfulfilled than actualized.
The wealth that is buried is so much more than the wealth created.
Says Oliver Holmes - "Alas for those that never sing, but die with their music in them !".
This will resonate with all readers. Each one of us within ourselves has this 'hidden in- the-dark crevices' of our desires, this list of unfulfilled dreams which we plan to fulfill before we die ! Read that book, paint that picture, see Canbara, buy that dream home.... Unfortunately, most of us die unfulfilled for we perpetually keep pushing our fulfillment to yet another day until that critical undefined day of life actually appears on the horizon. Both un realized - the approaching date and the consequential unfulfilled dream.
Possibly relentless pragmatics of life or be it pressures of unfulfilled work dead-lines or intoxication of monthly salary that we say we don't care for but do care for, so dearly. We acknowledge that dates of life are finite but each one believes that it is still far away ! And that pushes us to procrastinate our fulfillment. Whilst work encompasses much more than how we make our living, a recent survey of veteran CEOs on the close down of their innings rued having not spent time fulfilling their hidden dreams. Not one lamented or laid down on their beds wishing for another day of work !!!
Now one clarity here so that it is not misunderstood. The fulfillment is not for the world. Fulfillment is for you. That beautiful garden you want is for you. Recognition is not the criteria or the purpose....nurturing and tending the garden of your dream is. Only if recognition is your dream that go ahead and fulfill it. The Guinness Book of Records can give you many entries. At times, each entry could bear a story of self-fulfillment.
We can get lost or simply forfeit our best work and unfulfilled potential. Nothing stops us from emulating Rip van Winkle to wake up after 20 years of deep slumber over our desires , wake up and say..who am I ? Where am I ? What am I doing? and of course - Why are those unfulfilled desires still haunting me ?
It is a 3 step simple journey to what I call 'Live Fulfilled, Leave Fulfilled'.
The way forward is easy but most of us will not be able to follow it. Try :
First meaningfully resolve (practically today) that you will not leave life 'unfulfilled'. Don't die full of your best work, says Todd Henry. Die empty ! And rightly so. You need to have a fierce conversation with yourself and not let practical reasons let the conversation yet again remain unresolved.
To be able to do so, the next step would be to immediately after reading this blog, get up and Put a Plan to live your life with full-on vigour to fulfill your haunting desires.
The third is to use tomorrow to take the first actual step in that direction. Book the airline ticket to that exotic destination you have been dreaming about ....sign up at that dance class or go and buy canvas to paint that dream that's capturing your imagination!!! Simple -common sense. I am no guru but only an Influencer. Start and keep tracking the steady progress you make in your journey of self fulfillment.
Not only tomorrow, even today is for your dreams and whilst there can be positive support structures, no one else can make your contribution to this process of living fulfilled.
A world full of 'fulfilled' people would be such a positive and fulfilled world. Frustrations, anger, demotivation, stress, weak health manifestations, skin disorders, psychological disorders....all deep down are in a way associated with unfilfillment of these procrastinated, practically suppressed and largely unfulfilled desires.
'Die Empty'...I fully endorse Todd Henry's thoughts. I say 'Live Fulfilled, Leave Fulfilled'.