What fulfills you?

[LucyShalimar]

I received an email from a guy I went to college with. He has been teaching, helping at cancer foundations and now he's joining the Peace Corps. He seems to be living a great life and is so active in it.
It got me thinking. I plan on applying for oil company jobs this fall, so that I can make money. Everyone keeps telling me that I need to make money before I do what I want. Why? What if it doesn't make me happy?
This got me thinking even more. What would fulfill me? So I throw this question to all you fishies out there. What fulfills you? What are you passionate about?

Me:
teaching/working with people
theater
creating art (through food, paint, pastels, yarn, etc)
Good books and good conversation
Learning how to content in my body (meditation, yoga)

And now the big question: How do you incorporate this into your life so that you are living a full one?
It is so easy to focus on just being productive and doing the "right" thing, but I know this is not making me a happy version of myself. I always feel like I need to prove something. To who? I have no clue!!!
So here is my personal challenge: stop trying to impress everyone else. Work hard to make myself happy. Impress myself.
Please join in!
Lucy

[kai]

Umm, well I like to help people,enjoy writing (poetry, stories ect.)
When I am older I would like to be a teacher,either teaching Modern languages (French, Spanish, German, Italian) or teaching EFL in another country.

I am only just about to start my A levels, but I want to do something in life that is going to make me happy. Money comes second. Sure I want enough to live off, but I don't have to be mega rich in order to be happy. I agree witth your personal challenge! I think it is the same for me, I need to work hard to fulfil what I want to do, not to impress others.

[PSUgirl]

I'm fulfilled by:
--helping others
--my writing (poetry and short stories)
--reading
--my close relationship with my sister and my friends

I incorporate helping others into my life through my career...I teach special needs preschoolers how to communicate. Through that position I also work to empower the families of these children with the skills needed to continue facilitating the communicative growth of their children at home. Believe me, I am the furtherst thing from rich--most months I am living paycheck to paycheck! But I live with the satisfaction of knowing I have committed myself to making better the lives of children and their families who would otherwise have a pretty bleak outlook. Other than my ED (! :-) ) I don't have any special needs per se, but I think I really get something back out of this because I grew up in a family with VERY dysfunctional communication patterns...and I always wanted that communication to be better between us. I couldn't improve my own life in that respect but if I can help a few other people maybe they won't feel as helpless and lost as I did.

[lovelyladysarz]

I am fulfilled by:

*Working with children (advantaged and disadvantaged)
*Being creative with writing (I wrote a rap to the twelve steps once:cool)
*Ballroom dancing
*Being a part of close relationships

If there is a skill or job that truly gives you fulfillment, money seems to work itself out. You sacrifice.

[SarahMichelle]

I am fulfilled by:
My relationship with God
My Christian faith
taking care of children
taking care of children with special needs
nature/things God has created


I am passionate about:
Sharing Jesus with people
reading
helping people who are poror/needy
helping children
donating to charities(ie through Children International, Food for the Poor, Hand of Hope)
appreciating beauty in nature