I was thinking about a study I read several years back. It was about how children that would instinctively put off instant gratification and momentary gains and instead pursued long-term rewards would statistically go on to have more fulfilling and successful lives.
What brought this on? Well, I suddenly realized how far into 2015 we’d gotten and how the first quarter went past in a blur and the second quarter was close to done and I hadn’t reviewed the progress of my yearly goals yet.
Why hadn’t I done this? I suppose I could give various excuses from being too lazy to dealing with illness in March to this and that but I also have to be honest and admit I have been partly dreading this. I haven’t been doing as well as I’d hoped to be at this point.
So I was walking in downtown Houston the other day and thinking about this. It was after dark and downtown was mostly deserted and it was cool and quiet. Near perfect conditions to think.
Were these goals making me happy or were they becoming obsessions that would not yield long-term satisfaction? Was I eschewing short-term gratification to pursue these goals or just denying myself living my life for no good reason?
I mean I created these goals in order to have a better life and to do something meaningful. I think I did a pretty good job of it as well but the thing is that for some of my goals I think that I am pouring good resources into lost causes and basically wasting them where I could instead be using them for other projects.
So I have to evaluate these goals and see if these are worth continuing on and if I just hang on a little longer that things will get better or if I’m just hanging on due to some sense of pride that won’t let me quit on these goals.
I think that’s what I meant by the title “find what really makes you happy”. Sit down, look at these goals, and see if they will truly make you happy.
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