Monday Motivation: 8.24.26 Flourishing vs Fulfillment

I want to own an F-word.

Given that the best of them is taken, I will have to settle for either flourishing or fulfillment.

The words are similar, but I believe they feel quite different.

For instance, would you rather live a life that is flourishing or one that is fulfilled?

If you achieve either of these, you're doing pretty great. Still, I get a different feeling and energy from one versus the other.

Flourishing means the state of living a good life, where a person grows, develops, and realizes their full potential.

Fulfillment means a sustained sense that life has meaning, purpose, and deep satisfaction, achieved by aligning one's actions with core values and realizing personal potential.

(FYI: This is all according to the AI definitions on a quick google search)

The nuance, I suppose, is in the growth and development of flourishing in contrast to the meaning and purpose of fulfillment.

I lean toward fulfillment because, to me, it signals that you actually enjoy the ride. It seems you can flourish and theoretically not enjoy it.

The other side is that flourishing feels like the more exciting journey, like an adventure, whereas fulfillment is more of a leisurely wandering. One is the feeling you get when you stick your hand out the window while driving. The other is a walk around the neighborhood.

Am I reaching?

These are the thought exercises that keep me up at night, courtesy of my hyper-analytical brain (thanks, engineering degree).

One of these words will become the bedrock of everything I'm building toward. It is the "so that" in my purpose statement:

"My purpose in life is to make better leaders and stewards so that..."

It will either end in:

• [...] so that more people flourish in their life
• [...] so that more people live a more fulfilled life

Let me know your thoughts.

✌🏽. ❤️. 📈 . 🤲🏾