The Pursuit of Fulfillment

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Something that has been a topic of conversation with my friends, family, and peers lately has been this idea of work fulfillment. 

I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked with recently who are bored with what they do. What once brought them joy now brings them disdain. They are going through the motions, trying to find their next “thing,” but no one is really sure what that is yet.  

At first, I thought it was a Millennial thing (you know, the whole “quarter life crisis” and all), but it’s not. It’s been an issue that has come up with people of all age demographics, no matter what stage they’re at in their careers. 

Maybe it’s the race to the bottom in late-stage capitalistic Corporate America. Or maybe it’s productivity and hustle culture, forcing us to do more in less time. Maybe it’s the state of the world around us. Or just the sheer competition and job market. All of these factors make the work feel less satisfying to those doing it. 

I’ve chalked it up to a few overarching themes: 

• A misalignment between what we’re interested in and what we’re actually doing 

• Suppressing our dreams in favor of what the world tells us “success” looks like 

• Being worried about what others think of us if we choose the path less traveled 

Eventually, we burn out, not from the sheer amount of work, but because the work we’re doing no longer aligns with who we are, what we want, and what our definition of success is. 

It leaves a lot of us feeling lost, but it’s completely normal. 

Our circumstances change. Our perspectives change. Our experiences change. Our definition of success changes. So naturally, the nature of our work should change too. 

It’s natural to question if our work lights us up. Sometimes we chase the dream, only to realize it is not what we thought it was. Or that we fell into the work we do by accident, not because we wanted to be there, but because it was the safe and stable option at the time.  

The older and more advanced we get in our careers, the more we’re chasing fulfillment with our work (at least most of us). 

I see it in three stages: 

• Stage 1: Early Career. In this stage, you’re primarily in survival mode. You take any job you can find to gain experience. You know whatever you end up doing isn’t going to be your “forever” job, but rather a stepping stone. It’s a place for you to experiment and discover what jobs you enjoy and which ones you don’t. 

• Stage 2: Mid-Career. In this stage, you’ve likely been working for a few years and have found your footing. You’re gaining skills and experience and honing in on your area of expertise. Maybe you’re climbing the corporate ladder. You feel like you have stability and are working towards your idea of perceived success. You’re chasing the dream. 

• Stage 2.5: Burnout and Existential Crisis. Your work has started to take a major toll on you. You no longer love what you’re doing and are looking for a change. Your idea of success is starting to change. You might decide to quit your job or go on a sabbatical to find out what your next step is. You likely feel lost, like a failure, or a loser because your path isn’t looking linear anymore. 

• Stage 3: Fulfilment. This is our personal nirvana. We find work that aligns with our interests, skills, and definition of success. Everything falls into place and comes easily. We don’t have to force it; it feels like a natural progression. We feel like we’re positively contributing to the world with work that we’re proud of. 

Work fulfillment is more than just liking what we do or our job. Work fulfillment is about finding something that aligns with our definition of success and our purpose. It’s finding meaning in what we’re doing. It’s work where we can make a meaningful impact with our skills. It’s work that reflects our most authentic self.

And I truly believe that when we aren’t in a state of fulfillment, it prevents us from reaching our fullest creative and financial potential. We’re not seeing the success we want, knowing we’re capable, because our work doesn’t align with our interests and skills.  

When we are in true alignment with our work, success flows, whether financial, creative, or otherwise. Because you are living up to the most authentic version of yourself and doing what you’re meant to do. 

The Japanese have a name for this concept: ikigai. 

Ikigai is the "reason for being" or the "happiness of being busy". It is found in the overlap of four areas: what you love, what the world needs, what you can be paid for, and what you are good at. 

Finding your ikigai leads to personal fulfillment, sustained motivation, and a more meaningful life, and is associated with longevity, balance, and well-being. 

So, then how does one find that fulfillment? 

We can look to both the past and future versions of ourselves to find it. More often than not, our younger selves can be a guide for finding our way back to fulfilling work. We knew what we wanted to pursue, not out of practicality, but out of passion. And most of us end up finding our way back to that. 

We can also look forward to the “what if” version of ourselves. I like to think of it like “If money were no object or if I won the lottery, how would I spend my time?” The answer to that question is usually something born out of passion. 

In both scenarios, we discover what truly lights us up, the things that spark intrinsic motivation. The answers really can be that simple and have been right in front of us the entire time—we just need to know where to look for them.

For me, fulfilling work looks like:

• Work that is fun 

• Work that aligns with and is a full expression of my interests 

• Work that matches my definition of success 

It takes time and a lot of shadow work to figure out what our version of fulfillment looks like and what kind of work leads us there. We might need to take a step back from our current situation to gain clarity and see the bigger picture. 

It might mean taking a lower-paying job while you figure out your pivot. It might mean switching industries. It might mean taking some time off. It might mean going back to school. 

We have to look at it as short-term discomfort for long-term gain. And the payoff is work that genuinely gets us excited to get out of bed in the morning, whatever that might look like for us.

Creative Corner

• 🎞️ What I’m Consuming: Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building

• 💡 What I’m Loving: Hillstone Crisp Martinis

• 🎨 What I’m Working On: I’m in the early stages of outlining what building a media company would look like. More to come soon…

• 💭 Weekly Musing:

Thank you 💕

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Alexa Phillips is a writer, brand strategist, and multi-passionate creative. She is the founder of Bright Eyes Creative, a Seattle-based brand consultancy that helps founders, brands & creators stand out and scale with editorial-driven content marketing.

Where to find me:

• Learn more about my services 

• Listen to my recent podcast episodes.