Popular culture shouts Never be satisfied. Always demand more. I’ve been scratching at the layers of this. It's catchy. It sounds cool. I wander, where might this thinking be leading us? This messaging of never satisfied. you must hustle 24/7. Sleep is the enemy. Be a machine. Is this also framing a quick road to burnout before even reaching our goals?
Life is fragile. We could be gone tomorrow. Do we want to leave the planet with knowing you never felt fulfilled even in the process of your pursuits?'. Know that you didn't give yourself a moment of peace, or allow yourself to look at something and say: you know what, well done for that!'
Then there’s the side of what were you like in the process? You're spending the most part of your life in the process. How are you there? Where you put your hours and make your sacrifices, are you miserable most of the time?
What if instead we fuel a strive satisfied mindset?
What does that even look like? What about implementing even the smallest acts of acknowledging your progress as you sharpen your axe. Can you high-five yourself in the mirror the next time you get one step closer to your goals? It doesn't have to be this big grand gesture. Go for a walk. Jump up and down, and then keep keeping at it. What about trying being present to the small stepping stones you land so that when you're in the thick of the tough times you have one more anchor to hold fast to?
You can still be improving while celebrating the small victories on the path of doing difficult things. You can still be growing when taking a break, for even five minutes, no phone, staring at the sky, that too is being productive. If you're miserable for the full leg of the journey, do you think you'll suddenly be happy the moment you reach your podium?
It's a conscious decision to turn the corner on never satisfied and realise it doesn't mean you're less hungry or less hard working if you're going against the grain of what society says you need to do to 'make it'. You can still actively be pursuing your passions by waking up early and not going to bed late. You can still be productive by being intentional about when you work, and when you rest.
Never satisfied burnt me out. So here’s to living the one purpose driven day at a time mentality: I’m striving satisfied.
Stay Braver out there, Astrid