Living a Life of Fulfillment

Hobbies

We all believe that as we get older, we have to do away with childish, things and focus entirely on the elements that go towards the foundation which will secure our futures. Forgetting how those weekly quiz nights or the football club you were a part of in university served a positive purpose in making you who you are today. I Roller skated my whole life, but upon the birth of roller discos in the UK, I began to take it more seriously up into my mid-20s. As I focused on my career, taking courses, and accepting promotions were the only things that were important, condemning one of my favourite hobbies to rot in purgatory never to return. During a mental health de-clutter after a particularly testing point in my professional life, I found my beloved skates and it encouraged me to join a local group and reignite a childhood passion I used for play was now super useful in helping me shake off the pressures of an intense week. This simple activity has served as a healthy distraction and is the complete opposite of my normal routine allowing me to face what has overwhelmed me with a clear mind.

Companionship

No matter what anyone says we are not supposed to be alone. This doesn’t mean that we force ourselves into relationships with the first person who shows us attention, however, the feeling of being connected to someone or a part of a particular group supports us in ways that cannot always be explained but are naturally understood. Even though I recall thinking about the romantic aspects of our attachment during the breakup of my last relationship, it was our bond that was most valuable to me. Being able to have an individual to share the joys and burdens with was better than surpassing any milestone. This doesn’t have to be a romantic relationship; throughout the years I have developed affiliations with people whom I now consider family as they have seen me through most of my difficulties and triumphs. In your darkest hours, being alone may seem more comfortable, but no man is an island, let’s not kid ourselves.

Education

No, I am not talking about re-taking that Math GCSE. Education is an umbrella term it could be something that gives you a qualification or picking up a new skill. Growing up I always had my head in a book, although studying did not deter me from it I was not consuming my preferred content which tends to be personal development or self-help. I always thought that there would be a point in life where a person would’ve mastered everything that one needed to live the perfect life. Reading has helped enhance my knowledge as well as shown me that there are no bounds to what we need to learn to not only persevere, but to be successful and get further ahead than our ancestors. Through educating myself I now understand some of the questions about life I have are normal. There is no such thing as the perfect life, and we are consistently within the learning phase no matter how old we get.

Movement

My last job had me consistently on my feet and in numerous locations a few times a week, it wasn’t until I became one of those crazy smartwatch wearers seeing myself clock in 20000 steps daily that realised how active I was. My current job is mainly office-based, and I have found my body struggling to manage the lack of movement particularly my brain which tries to put me to sleep around 2 pm daily. One day I tried everything from coffee to switching to a more menial task and nothing worked, it wasn’t until I donned my winter gear and braved the single-degree weather to go out for a walk that I appreciated the power of movement. Whenever I speak to people about scheduling a short walk into their day I am often met with the groans of “having too much to do” or “wanting to be productive” not grasping that taking a break from the very task they are struggling to complete can help them achieve their goal.