Things I Believed Until I Didn't - "I Thought Fulfillment Was - Out There Somewhere"

Happy

I used to think that fulfillment was a destination.

Like once I got married—then I’d feel it.Once I bought the house—then I’d feel it.Maybe if I had the right job or wore the right size jeans or finally took that trip to Italy... surely then I’d arrive at fulfillment.

It was always just one milestone away. One decision. One achievement. One transformation. And I chased it like a woman who believed the next thing would finally be the thing.

For years, I lived in the in-between.Smiling on the outside, waiting on the inside. A little hungry. A little restless. A little convinced that the “real” feeling—that settled, soulful, everything-is-okay-now kind of feeling—was still coming.

But here's what I’ve learned: Fulfillment doesn’t come with a deed to a house or a diamond on your finger. It doesn’t arrive with your promotion or your passport stamp or even when someone finally tells you they’re proud of you.

Fulfillment lives much closer to home. It lives in small, ordinary moments you actually let yourself feel. It lives in truth-telling. In stillness. In alignment.

It lives in that quiet knowing that you’re okay even if nothing gets shinier.

I literally spent decades looking for something that was never lost. It was just buried under layers of "shoulds" and "not-yets."

If you’ve been waiting for fulfillment to show up when your life looks a certain way, I want to gently offer this: It might be time to stop searching and start listening. The kind of fulfillment you’re craving may already be whispering. Not “out there.”But in you.

👉 What’s one thing you’ve been waiting for to finally feel fulfilled? Leave a comment or share your story—I read every one. Much love,

Ruthie 🩶