How to Lead a Fulfilling Life

I’ve worked in offices for 48 years and while I’m tinkering with a few ideas of what I’m going to do in my twilight years, it’s still a scary prospect. Rose, on the other hand, is ecstatic in retirement.

Grandchildren, church, gardening, all of that, and she complains of not having enough time to get it all done.

Okay, maybe I and my male friends are missing the point somewhere and things will sort themselves out come retirement day, but I still would like a decent project to sink my teeth into.

Lately I’ve been caught up watching videos of lectures by a Canadian, Dr Jordan Peterson, on the subjects of religion, codes for living and relationships, that sort of thing. He makes a very strong case that men and women need to set goals in order to lead fulfilling lives.

Without goals, he says, people become anxious, depressed and likely to self-harm. I agree.

The most fulfilling period of my life was during the 25 or so years of road running. In order to run even a shortish distance comfortably you need to train, and to do that properly you need to be motivated, organised and to have a plan. You set a goal of running a marathon on a future date and to get there requires months and months of sticking to a plan.

Up ‘til then I had had a laissez-faire approach to life and frankly it got me into a lot of trouble. Running taught me how to focus and that helped enormously in other spheres of life, as in business. Running doesn’t appeal to everyone so I daresay chess, quilting, woodwork or golf might achieve the same results.

But at the heart of it must be goal setting followed by disciplined application. Then, achieving the goal you set yourself is not the end, says Peterson.

In fact, most people are not really satisfied once they achieve their goals. The enjoyment comes from the journey. So, when a goal has been achieved, you have to set another one. And another.