Ever heard yourself utter those words? I’ll be happy when I buy a house. I’ll be happy when I lose 5 pounds. I’ll be happy when I’m done with school. I’ll be happy when I’ve [insert goal]. We’ve been taught to set goals and strive to achieve them. It’s great to set goals and expect more out of ourselves; it’s a great way to realize our full potential and flourish. However, it’s easy to get to caught up with striving for the future and forgetting about enjoying the present.
Matt and I were on a bike ride a couple days ago talking about things we wanted to accomplish in 2014. We have some really great goals, and some big things to plan for like our wedding, our travel plans, and goals at work. However, I look at my past and my present and realized I often focus too much on what I’m trying to do instead of what I’m actually doing.
What happens when you achieve your goal? You’re happy for a few moments until you set the next goal, and once again you’re climbing that hill to achieve, accomplish, perform. I’ve seen this pattern with myself through every challenge in my life, especially with my racing, when I was in school finishing my Master’s Degree, and at work.
I’m trying to focus on being happy with where I am right now in my process. I’ll be happy when I achieve my goals, but I’ll feel happy and satisfied today working towards things. How do I actually execute that? For me, it’s knowing that I am doing my best today and every day. If I am giving my best effort, I am satisfied…even if I don’t achieve the exact goal I laid in front of me. The journey of taking on new challenges is often more rewarding than reaching the target, like training for a race!
I’ll be happy today, tomorrow, and when…
This is very true, and very difficult to do. I thought I was the only one that faced this problem. Thanks for posting this Sonya.
I’ve learned in a couple motivation courses that it’s good to look at it in a Be, Do, Have mentality. If you be who you need to be to accomplish goals, do what you need to do, you’ll have what you’re looking for!
That balance between; dwelling on the past, living in the moment and striving for the future. Society today has put way too much emphasis on both ends and taken away most of that middle. It seems to have a way of making most people feel like they are doing something wrong just for enjoying being in the right here, right now. Love how being on a bike fixes that, even if only for the duration of the ride.
I met a young lady last year that just personified the living happy mentality. And while her lifestyle surely isn’t for everyone, just hanging out with her for a week or so taught me to take a closer look at how I was living. Give a read if you like –
http://dchristianson.blogspot.com/2014/03/laura.html