I'm not sure, and this one is a bit hard for me as I am trying to figure it out. Perhaps it is the journey of growth that is the fulfilment—both positive and negative emotions may be involved, but they are not the all-encompassing thing. Maybe this is what they mean when say it's not about the destination but the journey.

You could probably apply this to life too, and not worrying about your own inevitable death—but rather what happens between

I love this one, thanks for sharing

Any inch of progress you make is a step away from your former self, even if it's minute. Take notice in anything that you consider to be positive progress and make it re-affirming—and setbacks are things that are temporary and you can bounce back from.

It's also not a fake it till you make it if you are constantly making it—and there really isn't an ultimate stage or end goal, because that would imply that you can lose it after achieving it (if that makes any sense).

I guess to answer your question, it is not automatic but a conscious decision you make that needs to be nurtured.

Maybe there doesn't need to be an end goal, just the sense of fulfilment that you are progressing from who you were before

I didn't mean it in the literal sense. Having a representation of yourself in the past is a good way to measure your progress as you become the person you want to be