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You’re reading this blog because you have goals and you’re looking for ways to make them a reality. I’m writing this blog because I have a goal, and blogging is one of the weekly steps I take to achieve that goal.
We are a goal-oriented culture because of our brains. Our brains are hard-wired to see the problems before us and work to solve those problems. But have you ever set a goal for yourself only to be disappointed once you get there?
You thought you would be happy when you lost 50 lbs, but instead you notice how much loose skin you have now. Or you thought you would be happy when you got the promotion but instead you are exhausted by dealing with all of the problems of the people you manage.
Our brains are hard-wired to never sit in “happy” too long. Happy people become complacent and don’t grow. Dissatisfied people are more likely to keep searching, thus continuing to grow and evolve.
I say dissatisfied people are “more likely to keep searching” because we are also very efficient as a species, and we have found ways to become complacent in our dissatisfaction through buffering. Buffering is when we zone out by scrolling the internet or bingeing Netflix or shopping online or eating or drinking our way through our discomfort. We find false, short-term pleasures to keep us from feeling the dissatisfaction we were wired to feel in order to keep moving forward.
What if we re-visioned our goals and our path to those goals? What if we accept that reaching the goal will not bring eternal happiness but it will bring growth? What if we accept growth as a greater reward than happiness? Happiness is only a feeling, and feelings are fleeting. Growth equips us for an even greater journey. Growth fuels us to achieve more and to be more.
As I journey on my way to an abundance mindset, I have realized that too often I set my goal to “happy” when what I truly want to do is grow. With growth as my goal, I must also accept that uncomfortable feeling of dissatisfaction with current circumstances. Sometimes I must accept a feeling of anxiety and, rather than buffer through it with some type of bingeing behavior, I must see it as a trigger to set me on a path moving forward.
Happiness is an allusive goal, but growth will lead us on a journey full of emotional peaks and valleys with measurable results. Growth is the ultimate path to abundance.
If you want to explore the path to abundance with me, sign up for a free coaching session on my website. You can also listen to my podcast, The Coaches’ Cup podcast, on iTunes or YouTube. Until next week, much love.
