We all know that certain things like money, toys, and status do not provide deep soul satisfaction.

Yet, most of us spend our lives in hot pursuit of these things and rarely pause to reevaluate. Why?

And how do we get that deeper soul satisfaction reliably?

That’s what this post is all about. We’ll cover what it is, how not to get it, and finally, how to have deep soul satisfaction every single day, for free.

What is Deep Soul Satisfaction?

It’s a term I came up with that – on the surface – sounds a bit goofy. Yet, when I really think about it, deep soul satisfaction is what I most want in life. I believe it’s what you want as well. What is it?

Deep Soul Satisfaction

The ongoing inner fulfillment that comes from accepting and connecting to the world around you. Deep soul satisfaction is nothing other than the pure pleasure of sensory experience.

Deep soul satisfaction cannot be chased own and captured. It’s not a goal. It’s a simple experience that is available to anyone, anytime. Best of all, it’s very, very fulfilling. Nothing quite compares. You might even call it bliss.

Amazingly, we’re looking for satisfaction in all the wrong places. Science proves that so much of what we do to find satisfaction is nothing beyond useless. But that doesn’t seem to stop us from trying. Here are two places you may be looking for satisfaction in vain.

1. Your Stuff

Nope, sorry. Stuff can be fun to have. And it certainly can be useful. But stuff falls desperately short of providing lasting satisfaction.

The new dress, shoes, motorcycle, jet ski, phone or tablet. Fun stuff. Useful stuff. Not inherently satisfying. Materialists are less satisfied and more depressed, according to research done at Baylor University.

Materialistic couples score worse in every area of marriage evaluation than their non-materialistic counterparts.

It’s not the stuff that is the problem, though. It’s the pursuit of stuff. The expectation that the stuff will do something for you that it cannot do. It cannot satisfy you as a person.

2. Your Status

Forget stuff – go for status. Recognition by peers. Social clout. Respect!

Forget it. Philosopher Allain de Botton dedicated an entire book to the anxiety that comes with status seeking and maintenance.

Status seeking is intimately tied to what other people think. It’s something you can spend a lifetime trying (in vain) to control. And most of us to just that.

But this is a far cry from deep soul satisfaction, is it not?

What really works every single time to provide deep soul satisfaction?

Your senses.

They work every single time you use them well. Here are some examples:

Yesterday I was watching some paper come out of a printer. It was pure bliss. The printer gently grinding away….the color ink creating a design right before my eyes….and the satisfaction that I was involved in the process.

That morning I was taking a shower, listening to the hum of the water making its way though the pipes, eventually landing warmly on my skin. All the while, I was lost in a steamy haze.

I drank a cool glass of clear water. The water glided down my throat, and I felt it all the way down into my stomach!

Stupid? Yeah…silly stupid bliss. It’s all I want. And I’m just an average dude who likes to drink a few beers now and again. It’s not the printer itself, or the shower, or the glass of water that made any of this so satisfying.

It’s that I took the time to really see, hear and feel it happening as it was happening.

That’s deep soul satisfaction.

Pursuing anything else may be a grand effort toward self-sabotage.

Other helpful resources:

Greater Good posted a very interesting article on happiness vs. meaning in life. It’s worth reading.

Jeff Haden at Inc. wrote a very interesting piece on scientifically proven ways to be happy. And it’s very, very good advice!

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 References:

 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140331180613.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013085237.htm