How Full Are You?

Think back to when you were in High School Language Arts class. Writing stories or essays that always got returned to you marked up by your teacher, scolding you for using “said” too much. “He said,” “I said,” “they said…”  

“Use more descriptive words,” your teacher would coax. “Said is boring.” 

Fast forward to today. 

When was the last time someone asked how you were doing and your knee-jerk reaction was, “fine.” Or, how about using “happy” as the top of the barometer when you’re checking in on yourself. 

Why do you have to be fine? And why is happy the ultimate goal? They’re both such boring, nondescript words. 

Now I’m not saying you need to go out and overshare all the nitty gritty details of your life the next time the cashier asks how you’re doing. But, I do encourage you to get curious with yourself about it. 

Grab your journal or a piece of paper and draw a thermometer. Like this: 

Nothing fancy needed. Just something you can write on and fill in. 

At the top of the thermometer, write the word “FULL.” Not happy, not satisfied, but FULL. 

Now, write down all the things you’re feeling right now. Either around the thermometer, below it, or inside of it - your choice. Feel free to pull out some markers and get colorful with it, too. 

Words like, “melancholy,” “sleepy,” “energized,” “sore,” “hungry,” “content,” “frustrated…” And yes, you can even use “happy” if that applies. That’s a perfectly good feeling to have - it’s just not the TOP word we’re going for here. 

As you fill out your list, notice how interesting you are in this moment. You’ve likely got a whole bag of adjectives going on! And that, my friend, is what feeling “FULL” means. 

As humans, we can’t possibly expect our end goal to simply be “happy.” We’re far too complex of creatures for that. Viewing that as our ultimate way of being is selling ourselves really short. 

And quickly think back on your life for a minute to a moment or two when you felt totally alive. Does that moment stand out simply because you felt “happy” then? I’m willing to bet not. Chances are, you felt a whole rainbow of emotions in that moment. Maybe you were finishing a race that you worked really hard to get ready for. Crossing that finish line must’ve come with happiness, yes. But probably also Exhaustion. Let down. Exhilaration. Maybe even Disappointment if you didn’t do as well as you’d hoped. But, it’s a moment that’s etched in your memory of a time when you were truly, fully alive. 

That’s what being human is all about. Don’t minimize the other emotions just to hyper-focus on “happy.” It doesn’t serve you. 

So this week in your journaling or self-reflecting, I encourage you to keep up the thermometer image. Fill it in with words that describe ALL the things you’re feeling in this moment or this day. Let them all have a place in adding to your FULLNESS. 

Happy journaling!