Don’t you just love it when you go to someones blog and they actually have a new post?  I do!  Since I love it so much I thought I would share the love!

Alright, I know you all want the fun stuff, pictures from my most recent adventures, new quotes, etc… but today I really, really want to post about something that has been on my mind lately.  (don’t worry, I have plenty of new pictures to post, so the fun stuff will come, but today I want to post about “real stuff”.  These are things I’m going through right now and things I’m learning, you might find yourself being able to relate.)

The topic of fulfillment has been on my mind a lot lately, mostly due to the recent turn of events in my life.  Many of you know that since I moved back to Utah I have been working for my New York based firm from home, well that was until about a month ago.  It was a Tuesday afternoon around 4:30pm when I got the call from my boss letting me know that due to the economic downturn in the Real Estate markets and our firms urgent need to downsize immediately, my last day working would be the up-coming Friday.  Yes, I was being laid off.

Up until this point I thought I was fulfilled.  I had the the big job, the big salary, had lived in the big city, and had accomplished all the things that I thought were making me fulfilled. Turns out I was wrong.

What I have been experiencing since I lost my job, not even I could have ever guessed would happen. The first day was hard.  Of course I had the pity party!  I went through all the emotions, shock, mad, sad, disbelief, why me, and then 24 hours later came the acceptance.  The pity party lasted one day, that’s all I gave myself.

Once that pity party was over, I sat down to make a list of jobs that I wanted to take, things that interest me. After an hour the only thing I had written on my yellow pad was…Be Happy.  Being happy is the only job I wanted to have.

Being happy for me means: getting up early, going to the gym (working my body, making it move), getting dressed up for the day (that means no sweats-hair and makeup done everyday), calling my friends just to say hi, returning calls, serving in my church calling, joining the ward softball team, exploring new hobbies (mountain bike riding and learning about guns… who knew!), trying out new recipes, being an AWESOME girlfriend (hopefully Jason will 2nd that), exploring new business ideas, reading good books, babysitting, and the list goes on and on.

My list above by the “worlds standard” would say, there is absolutely no way I could be feeling fulfilled right now by just working out, getting dressed up, being a good friend, serving, playing sports, cooking, reading and all the while not bring home a paycheck.  To the world I would say, you are wrong!

I feel more happy, content, peaceful, energetic, loving, and FULFILLED then I ever have ever felt in my whole life!

Isn’t life interesting.  The things that are most fulfilling have nothing to do with corporate titles or money.  One month ago you would have never been able to convince me otherwise.

I am writing this more as a journal moment to myself.  If again, I ever find myself in a place where I am home all day (ie, stay at home mom) I want to remember that being fulfilled has nothing to do with a paycheck or proving to the world that I’m valuable, ambitious, talented, hard working, and just as smart and cut out to make it in the “real world” as the boys.

If I ever find myself lacking fulfillment I want to remember that being valuable, ambitious, talented, hard working and smart in the eyes of my family, religion, and community will bring more fulfillment then any career I could ever have.

So I ask, are you fulfilled?