As we veer to the conclusion of the month of New Beginnings, I wanted to take some time to reflect on ways we can attempt to achieve spiritual fulfilment.

I’ve discussed the eight pillars of wellness in previous posts. In short, these are the facets of our life that contribute to our overall sense of wellness, and by extension, our happiness.

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What is ‘spiritual fulfilment’ and why does it matter?

In the context of the pillars of wellness, when we talk about spiritual fulfilment, we’re talking about or sense of purpose and our greater meaning. What drives you? What do you value? What do you connect to?

Your measures of fulfilment will be different to the next person, and it’s something you can really only decide for yourself. For me, my sense of fulfilment in the spiritual realm is typically determined by how well my life is currently aligning with my values and priorities. That could be my relationships, my work, my environment. Essentially, really, how well the other pillars of wellness are aligning with my core beliefs.

For some, they may find spiritual fulfilment from organised religion. For me, it’s more to do with the environment and my connection to nature and desire for happiness and peace. Rather fittingly, searching for peace brings me peace, and improves my sense of fulfilment.

How to Explore Spiritual Fulfilment in Everyday Life

I wanted to share some ideas on how you can engage with your spiritual side and seek a greater sense of fulfilment from this.

Meditation for Inner Peace and Spiritual Connection

Meditation can take many forms. Some enjoy making it ritualistic, some enjoy using guided meditations to help them. For me, I view meditation as just time to think. 5-10 minutes a day to ruminate quietly without further distractions.

I pay attention to how my body is behaving – the subtle changes in my breathing or sensations. When doing this, I can sometimes even spot minor health problems before they crop up, like little signs I’m developing a cold, or perhaps that I’m due a visit to the dentist.

I pay attention to where my mind goes – I don’t actively choose to think of anything. But I take note of what comes up when I do think. This helps me figure out what is bothering me, what my focus is at the moment, and what I may need to prioritise.

Connect to Something Bigger Than Yourself

As I mentioned earlier, for some people, they like to connect to formal or organised religion. I’m agnostic, so this isn’t something I can really relate to – organised religion has never really been my cup of tea! But it’s fine if that’s what supports you!

Despite my lack of faith in a god as we commonly recognise them, I do still believe in some form of higher power. For me, that’s the energy of the universe, the power and awe of nature, and the belief that everything is connected. I find my peace in watching the seasons change, and try to live my life seasonally.

An equivalent for you might be prayer, or attending a service. It may be engaging in acts of service in your community. I think – for me – that the core of it is recognising that the world is bigger than me as an individual.

Discover Your Core Values and Beliefs

I think it’s really difficult to truly feel fulfilled if you don’t understand what makes you tick. You can’t know what will make you happy if you don’t understand what drives you, what brings you purpose, what you believe in.

Meditation – as explored above – can be a great way to explore this. So too, can journalling. Just getting out into the world and exposing yourself to different views and ways of life can help you learn and understand more about life. It’s through meeting different people, reading, consuming art and culture, travel, and seeking new experiences that I’ve developed my core values and beliefs.

There’s no right or wrong way to do this, but I think it’s beneficial to explore as much as you can, and truly investigate the things that resonate.

Understand the Importance of Reflection

We’re in a constant state of flux. We never stop learning; we continually synthesise new information and experiences. It’s important to regularly evaluate these changes in our lives.

Sometimes we get comfortable in habits, jobs, patterns, and lifestyles that no longer match with our new value systems. It’s easy to do. For me, this was kept me in teaching past the expiry date.

If you find yourself feeling unfulfilled or dissatisfied with a life that used to bring you joy, it might be time to reflect on it. Are you doing what you’re doing now is because it reflects who you are? Or are you doing it because of who you were?

Set Goals that Align with Your Higher Self and Values

Once you understand the version of yourself you want to be, you can start to plan for the future. Think about how you can better align your current values to the life you are living. Think about the steps you can take to become the higher self you envision.

Start with small changes. We can often be resistant to change, no matter the circumstances; habits are difficult to break free from. But if you can think of one small thing you can do each day to align your life more closely with your values, you’re taking a step in the right direction. Once you embed that small change, you can introduce another one. And another. Before you know it, you’re a different person!

You could try spending five minutes praying, meditating, or journaling. You could research careers that might better suit you before taking the leap of applying. You could commit to attending a religious service once a week. The important thing is that it’s manageable for you.

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If you’re looking for a structured approach to understanding your goals and need a bit more support than this blog post provides, the ’31 Days of New Beginnings’ workbook might be for you! It’s based on teaching theories, psychology, mindfulness, and spiritual practice. It’s designed to help you reflect on what motivates you and how to set efficient goals.

I have several reflective eBooks available via Ko-Fi and Etsy for digital download 🙂

I hope these tips have been helpful for you and give you some support on your spiritual journey! If you have, you can support my work by sharing, commenting, or giving small monetary contributions via Ko-Fi!

I’d love to hear from you about how you’ve fostered fulfilment spiritually in the comments!