Defining Fulfillment, Happiness & Success

You will notice in this post that there is a more somber/depressed tone as this was made when I first came up with the idea of this blog and looking into the ideas/things that define a quality life. Since them I have been working on a more positive outlook, which will show in future posts.

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As we explore what makes up a quality life, we should look at the definition of each word. Perhaps it is a misunderstanding of what these words mean that makes it so hard to achieve them. Let’s examine these words and see if we can develop a better understanding of what it is that we are striving for.

Fulfillment, as defined by the English Oxford Living Dictionaries website as the following: “NOUN [mass noun] 1. The achievement of something desired, promised, or predicted” or “2. The meeting of a requirement, condition, or need.”

When looking at fulfillment in this definition, I come to the conclusion that fulfillment, is fleeting. Perhaps, at the end of my life, I will see it as fulfilled, but as of right now, I am not fulfilled. Maybe that’s a good thing too. If I were to feel fulfilled at this point in time would I strive to better myself? Would I continue to want to educate myself about the world around me? Would I continue to look for answers within myself? That being said, I want to feel fulfillment by the time I am old. I do not want to look back on my life and see financial struggle, depression, and stagnation.

But we have three more words to define before I get too far on my spiel. Let’s look at the next one.

The English Oxford Living Dictionaries website defines the word happy (as happiness is simply a state of being happy) as the following: “ADJECTIVE 1. Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment” or “1.2. happy with Satisfied with the quality or standard of.”

Wanting to be content or satisfied seems to be a lackluster definition when you consider how much weight we put on this word. Perhaps this is a cultural difference though. In America, we tend to associate happiness with materialistic objects, mainly money. In a later blog, we will look at America’s happiness in comparison to the happiest country in the world. Until then, let’s look at the last word: success.

“Success NOUN [mass noun] 1. The accomplishment of an aim or purpose” or “1.1 The attainment of fame, wealth, or social status” is how the word is defined by the English Oxford Living Dictionaries website.

Now I don’t know about you, but as I look at the definitions on this last one, I am left wondering if I really know how to define what I want from life. Each of these definitions seems fleeting. We are striving for things that, when you look at them, are not meant to be constant. For me, it’s…disillusioning. Or perhaps I just need to look at it in a different light. Re-reading these definitions, they all only appear fleeting as I am in a point in my life that there are more downs then ups. Nowhere in the definitions listed above are these words defined as fleeting.

What do you think? Are these three things fleeting, or are they constant?

Till the next time!