About

A FulList Life Mindset

Hi everyone, my name is Amy and I decided a few years ago that I wanted to live. I mean, truly, live. There was no near-death experience or sudden loss that sparked this change for me. Just a few realizations that made me reconsider the way I was ‘living’. And thus, my FulList was created.

What is a FulList? Well I personally felt that having a list of things I wanted to do sometime before I die was vague, uninspiring, and a bit morbid. So instead, I created a list of things I wanted to do to feel alive. I try to Live to my FulList everyday and I hope to inspire and help you to do the same.

A Few Realizations:

Realization Number One: Life is short. An overstated cliché, right? Well, there’s usually a good reason for something to be repeated. Under the same category, was coming to terms with the fact that life is not guaranteed, meaning that you really don’t know how short (or long) your life is going to be. Death is everywhere. And we can either let this scare us into submission and live in fear of everything, or embrace that we don’t control when we leave this place and make the most of the days and moments that we do have. When you think of each day as your last, you start to really live.

Realization Number Two: You Are in Charge of Your Own Happiness. When you ask people what they want in life, most will answer, “happiness.” But figuring out how to be happy is not always easy. The realization that I had control over my happiness sank in more slowly than the other thoughts I’ve adopted. It comes with believing that the only opinion that matters is your own. This doesn’t mean having a complete disregard for others. I have always been a people-pleaser and I always worried about what other people thought of me. While I still take other people’s feelings and desires into consideration when making decisions, I learned to be less embarrassed about mistakes and learned how to be happy internally despite what was happening externally. Over time and with much practice, I was able to take charge of my own happiness.

Realization Number Three: Memories Are Greater Than Things. “Money can’t buy happiness.” “Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” It has been said in a variety of ways, but the message is the same. When you reach the end, the things you acquired over the years will not matter if you spent your whole life working to buy those things and didn’t create any happy memories along the way. I vowed to myself at a young age that I would not work my life away just to buy the newest stuff. You’ll find far greater satisfaction in figuring out what brings you joy and chasing that instead. And for some people, they might truly get joy from owning all the latest everything. Personally, I realized early on that I cared far more for adventure than material items. So I strive to seek out joyful moments to build a wonderful collection of memories that will be my FulList Life.