We all know the fable of the lonely, miserable billionaire.
The person who has worked themselves out of health, out of friends, and out of touch with life.
We all get it. We all think, “what in the world do they have to be miserable about? They’ve got it all! What could possibly be wrong?”
Then, once in a while, we look in the mirror and see that same person staring back at us.
The unquenchable thirst for that one thing.
Usually, the “next” thing.
Then, that thing comes, it certainly provides us with a moment of relief, but that inevitably fades.
Then we’re on to the next thing, chasing it yet again.
Also, FWIW, I’m right there with you.
I can think of no less than 5 things that I feel that sense of “if only” about.
Problems I’m distracted by in the middle of dinner in order to try and solve or daydream about.
I can also list out about 100 that I’ve felt the same about, but have since forgotten about their previous substantial significance.
The absolute fact of the matter is, we have the power to be content right this second, regardless of circumstance.
In fact, I’m going to argue that your efforts to be happy right now should supersede all other efforts.
Now, I can’t imagine this is the first time you’ve heard this.
The question becomes, however, “what the heck do we do about it?”
Do we give everything away and go meditate on a mountain for the rest of our days because “it’s all in our mind anyway?”
Heck no. Not in my opinion.
Progress, self improvement and accomplishing things is part of the fun of the game of life.
It’s just a matter of being a good sport about that game, and realizing that, as we ask our kids when they lose a game, “who cares, it’s just a game. The important thing is, did you have fun?”
It’s about managing the expectations of ourselves, and recognizing that while yes, it’s great to be happy about things and sad about others, predicating an existence on events is a recipe for persistent disappointment.
So keep playing the game, remain interested in accomplishments, recognize all you have to be grateful for, and remember that the only thing that matters is if you’re having fun.