I remember in my early 20’s, sitting with an old friend at the Airport Diner in Bohemia, Long Island eating mozzarella sticks at 11pm. We were catching up and discussing life, and I recall being dissatisfied and pondering what was next.
Oddly enough, I remember the conversation well, as it went like this…
My friend: “Con, I feel as if you will never be happy. You are always wanting for the next. It’s as if you are never satisfied.”
Me: Whaaaaa…??: (
OMG. He was totally right. I recall sitting there with nothing more to say other than thinking, geeeez what is my problem? If this is my life I am so screwed…
Fast forward 10 years later…
I finally had a new understanding of the conversation that night. It’s funny, the things that stand out from your past that you actually remember.
That night I thought I had a problem. And what I feared most was the mere thought of going through life never being crazy excited about waking up each day, always wanting for more and never getting it, and being strangely disappointed that I would be subjected to the same long career, typical marriage in my mid twenties and juggling some kids until they were old enough for college. Again great for some people but for me…
Little did I realize that the exact opposite would happen, and I would probably owe that conversation that night as my inspiration.
What I realized was…
I didn’t feel bad that night because my friend was right. Instead I felt bad because that conversation had me focused in opposition to everything I ever wanted, an improved job, more money, an awesome relationship…etc.
I was allowing some else’s perspective of me based on their own limited thinking (unknowingly of course…) to influence how I felt about myself and my desire for consistently wanting to grow.
As a result, I came to a very clear understanding, one in which I appreciate my friend for calling me out on…
95% of the population is content with status quo. They begin a career, work hard all their life, wake up on Monday looking forward to Friday and count the years waiting for retirement. And, if that’s you and that makes you super happy, then that is great.
But if you are anything like me, and you find the status quo terribly boring and suffocating to say the least, then you are in luck! Because you are NOT alone.
In fact, I am going to share with you the 3 MAJOR TAKE-AWAYS from that one conversation that I had learned years later that CHANGED MY LIFE and MY PERSPECTIVE so you don’t feel nuts for wanting more out of life:
Life is about the evolution of YOU. Which means you will always want for more! Long gone are the days when you pick one career and stick with it your entire life. Instead, you will create a goal, accomplish the goal and then move on to the next…
And there is nothing wrong with this at all!
In fact, the most growth, fun and satisfaction you will experience in life, is when you continuously expand your boundaries. This is where increased confidence plays a role. As the more you try new things, the more confident you will become. It is pretty amazing and life-giving once you start on this journey of self growth.
The second realization is something which is equally important and one that I was guilty of for years…
Start Appreciating YOURSELF. For years I neglected to pay attention and appreciate everything that I had accomplished so far. This includes everything, the little things, the great things and even the things you screwed up royally. Everything you do must be appreciated, because everything you do helps you clarify your likes and dislikes.
Some things you will want more of. And some things once you try you will never want to do again. Every experience allows for you to make better decisions that are aligned with the NEW you and what you are moving towards.
Start Loving Life now…
Life is about progress. Life does not stand still. Life only seems to stand still when you keep doing the same thing over and over again. This equals boring, stuck and the feeling of discontent.
Instead don’t feel wrong for consistently wanting to grow and evolve. That is what a fun, amazing life is about. Expand your boundaries and life will expand with you, allowing new and great experiences to come your way. Appreciate everything you can about everything you have lived so far. Give credit where credit is due. Every experience has created the person you are today. Don’t allow any bad experience to consume you, instead appreciate the bad experience as a clarifying moment.
And appreciate yourself for every little thing you have done or plan to do. Once you discover the value in appreciating yourself you will see how life changes in the craziest ways and crazy goooood things start to happen for you…
What steps can you take today to move your life forward?
What things from your past and present can you appreciate for allowing you to be the person you are today?
Leave your comments below 😉
I love this, I needed this <3
So glad Betzy!!! Thanks for commenting!
XOXO
Connie
This is exactly what I needed to hear. I always felt bad for wanting more in life and was even chastised for it because it equalled my unhappiness and unsatisfaction in life, or so I was told. Thank you. It’s good to know I’m not the only one and that it’s not wrong to want more.
Hey Brittany!!! My apologies for my delayed response! I somehow missed this! Congratulations for finally realizing nothing is wrong with wanting more…and you deserve everything you want out of life! So do your best to ignore those who say you shouldn’t- they don’t have a clue on how life works! Life is meant to be amazing for you…and you need “to want for more” in order to allow that to happen!! Thanks for commenting XOXO!!!
Thank you So Much for posting this, Connie. So true…and inspiring
Hey Maureen! So glad you found it helpful! XO!