HAVE YOU ALREADY ARRIVED? RETHINKING WHAT FULFILLMENT REALLY MEANS
When people talk about “arriving,” it’s often tied to milestones, graduations, promotions, relationships, or financial stability. Those achievements matter, but lately I’ve found myself reflecting with clients on a deeper question: What if arriving isn’t about reaching a finish line at all? What if it’s about entering a new posture toward life itself?
Arriving as Rhythm
Arriving isn’t a single, permanent state. It’s more like a rhythm. We step into it, lose it, and return again. Much like the body seeks homeostasis, the soul seeks balance.
Maturity doesn’t erase hardship, but it can extend the stretches of arrival. Seasons of peace last longer. Moments of disruption shake us less. Over time, arriving looks less like a prize to earn and more like a rhythm to practice.
When Arrival Feels Empty
Sometimes, though, we get to what we thought was arrival and find ourselves hollow. Maybe it was a career milestone, a relationship, or even a personal goal. On paper, we should feel fulfilled. But the truth is, these arrivals were shaped more by parental expectations, cultural scripts, or societal “shoulds” than by our own longings.
It takes courage to admit when an arrival isn’t what we hoped. But even those moments teach us. They remind us to keep listening for what’s truly ours.
When Arrival Surprises Us
On the other side, arrival can sneak up on us. A conversation with certain people, a quiet moment in a familiar space, or even the courage to try something new and suddenly we realize, this feels like home.
These are the arrivals we don’t always plan. They’re discovered by exposure, by openness, by stepping into experiences that expand our world. Sometimes we arrive not by striving, but by stumbling into what was waiting for us all along.
Arriving as Recognition
The greatest shift in arriving may be realizing it doesn’t always require something new. Often, it’s about noticing what’s already here.
The peace you thought was out of reach might be hiding in the rhythm of your morning walk, or in the house you already own or live in. The connection you’ve longed for could already be unfolding in a friendship you’ve taken for granted. Even the hope you’ve been chasing may be present in quiet moments you rarely pause to notice.
Arrival, then, is less about chasing “someday” and more about awakening to “already.” It is gratitude made visible.
A Closing Reflection
Arriving is not the end of all striving. Life will still bring waves of change and challenge. But arrival offers us a posture of peace within those waves.
Some arrivals may feel empty because they were shaped by someone else’s vision for our lives. Others may take us by surprise, reminding us that home can be discovered in unexpected places. And often, the most profound arrivals are not ahead of us but already within reach waiting to be named, noticed, and received.
So maybe the real question isn’t when will I arrive? but rather: where have I already arrived, and how can I rest there more fully?
MAKING IT PERSONAL
Arrival isn’t just a destination it’s a way of seeing.
Think of a time you “arrived” at something, only to find it wasn’t what you hoped. What did that experience teach you?
When have you been surprised by an arrival a moment, person, or place that felt unexpectedly like home?
Where in your life might you have already arrived without realizing it?
This week, pause once a day to notice something you already have that you once longed for. Write it down. Let that recognition be its own quiet arrival.
About the Author
Sarah Currie, Ph.D., LCMHC
Sarah Currie is a licensed counselor at Halos Counseling who helps individuals and couples move from feeling stuck to living with greater freedom and self-awareness. She creates a compassionate, honest space for growth and believes the resources for healing already live within each person.