WHAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY?

A lot has been written about motivation in life. At the local bookstore you can find books about this theme in multiple sections: business, psychology, self-help, financial, and others. In a culture consumed with winning no one wants to be a loser. In a culture that elevates the rich and famous to excessive levels, there seems to be no slowing in the infatuation with celebrity.

Not everyone possesses a drive to succeed, but most people at least have a modicum of desire to achieve some level of accomplishment in a part of their life.  This drive or desire may be fueled by different motivations: the approval of others; the desire to be rich; the need to be recognized; insecurity; or even the fear of failure.

Once a person has identified what they want to achieve they’re able to create a GOAL. Having a goal can be a tremendously motivating influence in our lives. For the most focused and driven individuals having a goal can become an all-consuming force in their lives. They are willing to do just about anything and to sacrifice whatever they must if it will move them closer to their goal.

If I had a dollar for every person who achieved their goal and then discovered it didn’t fulfill them in the deepest part of their soul, like they imagined it would, I’d be a wealthy man. When your goal is something that’s come from you, how do you know it will truly satisfy your soul? What makes you think you know what will make you happy?

This is the reason why it’s not difficult to find examples of people who spend their life moving from goal to another, their lives a never ending pursuit of their elusive dream. This may manifest in someone bouncing from one relationship to another or frequently changing jobs or, at the very least, experiencing toxic levels of disappointment and dissatisfaction. If this even remotely describes you or someone close to you, stay tuned to my next few blog posts as I explore the theme of pursuing goals.

A couple of questions came to me the other day:

What if life is about the journey and not the destination?

What if life is more about the fight than it is the victory?

Hopefully I’ll answer these questions in my future posts. Until then here’s a double-shot of the eternal Word:

“And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?”  Mark 8:36 (New Living Translation)

“To act without knowing how you function is not good; and if you rush ahead, you will miss your goal.” Proverbs 19:2 (Complete Jewish Bible)